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Concern over the stigma related to seeking mental health services can be overwhelming for clinicians.<\/p>\n
When explicit and implicit biases are not confronted and neutralized, stigma is sustained and can exert harmful effects on clinicians of all kinds. Despite some progress in the perception of mental health issues, stigma around this topic is still rampant in American medicine and can lead to exclusion, discrimination, demotion, and dismissal. There is often misunderstanding and blatant bias about what mental health conditions actually are and many health care professionals acquiesce to what is modeled in training and purposely don\u2019t complain about their distress, especially if it can be labeled \u201cmental.\u201d For too many, emotional exhaustion is not only a sign of weakness but \u201cproves\u201d they are unfit to be professionals. Commonly, many adapt by overwork, perfectionism, intolerance, and hypercriticism of themselves and others.<\/p>\n
Clinicians may also fear for their careers, since admitting to mental health conditions, or acting differently than the norm, may put their training or jobs at risk. Some research suggests that state health professional licensure boards approach mental illness with more scrutiny<\/a> and bias than physical illness on licensing and reentry applications. Thus, clinicians may be less likely to seek appropriate treatment for fear of sanctions or other repercussions. Legitimate fear about licensure, credentialing, and hospital privileging weighs heavily on many clinicians who fear they could lose everything they\u2019ve worked so hard to achieve.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n