For doctors with depression, A&E can be especially tough. I should know

A worsening environment in the NHS is taking its toll, and many of us feel we don’t deserve the help that is offered

Depression is difficult. And as other passengers know, a hard day or moment can derail you. Working in A&E with depression can be especially hard. In the bustle of emergency care you can feel alone, running from patient to patient; some you can save, some you can’t. Pressure to treat patients quickly with compassion when you are terrified of missing something and trying to hide your symptoms is draining.

I was diagnosed at university. I didn’t want to see friends, and I was spending more time in bed, becoming angry or sad. These feelings didn’t go away, and I seemed to wade through life and eventually avoid it altogether.

Related: My colleague's suicide showed how vulnerable medical professionals can be

As a doctor you can make moments significant, end fear and create hope. Depression has been a door to that realisation

Related: By the end of my first year as a doctor, I was ready to kill myself

Continue reading... March 27, 2018 at 02:17PM