Acadia Touch Points Blog

Rick Redmond, LCSW
Director, Business Development
The Acadia Hospital

Acadia Hospital's mission of caring drives us to constantly monitor trends in mental health and substance abuse. In recent years, multiple studies unearthed that physicians have an unusually high suicide rate compared to the general population. In light of this, the January, 2011 edition of the Archives of General Surgery, sought to better understand this dynamic among American surgeons. Their survey found that only 26% of surgeons who had recently experienced suicidal thoughts actually sought help. Additionally, 39% of surgeons stated that they would not seek help in the future even if they should become clinically depressed.

What makes even, or perhaps especially, the brightest and most successful among us avoid help in the face of suffering? At the top of the list of explanations is stigma; that mental illness still is viewed as a sign of weakness or defect. A successful person suffering from depression or anxiety may hesitate to seek help because they perceive being “found out” will lead to losses in social status, upward mobility and financial well-being.

A business person recently told me that a colleague of his had long resisted help before finally being compelled to treatment by his employer. He knew that he was depressed but avoided treatment for fear that word would get out about his problems and would be used against him by his competitors. He finally did seek help and became, in his colleague’s estimation, a better decision-maker and manager of people than before. This man had been worried about the risk of going for help but it turned out that he gained not only a healthier life but an edge in the business world.

Internal distortions often cloud perceptions about the risks and benefits of seeking help. For instance, it is common for someone in the midst of a depressive episode to experience an exaggerated sense of powerlessness or that people are set against them. A gracious, compassionate word from a friend to the person harboring such distortions can counteract this misperception. Someone who is in the midst of mental health disturbance needs to hear from trusted sources that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that there are effective treatment options for their illness.

People of all socio-economic strata and walks of life experience mental health disruption. There are effective treatments but many delay help because of the implications; either real or perceived. For loved ones who are suffering alongside someone with mental health concerns, an offer to help with that first phone call or to drive the person to their initial appointment can be a difference maker.

People, like surgeons, attorneys and business executives may have an additional concern because they may anticipate suffering negative consequences for seeking help. Acadia Hospital has developed specialized services for these high-level professionals that are private and located in a separate, discreet setting for an initial psychiatric evaluation and ongoing, outpatient treatment. For additional information interested individuals may give me a call at: 973-6811.