Stress, anxiety, and depression in hospital consultants, general practitioners, and senior health service managers.
OBJECTIVE
To study stress, anxiety, and depression in a group of senior health service staff.


METHODS
Postal survey.


METHODS
81 hospital consultants, 322 general practitioners, and 121 senior hospital managers (total 524).


METHODS
Scores on the general health questionnaire and the hospital anxiety and depression scale.


RESULTS
Sixty five (80%) consultants, 257 (80%) general practitioners, and 67 (56%) managers replied. Of all 389 subjects, 183 (47%) scored positively on the general health questionnaire, indicating high levels of stress. From scores on the hospital anxiety and depression scale only 178 (46%) would be regarded as free from anxiety, with 100 (25%) scoring as borderline cases and 111 (29%) likely to be experiencing clinically measurable symptoms. The findings for depression were also of some concern, especially for general practitioners, with 69 (27%) scoring as borderline or likely to be depressed. General practitioners were more likely to be depressed than managers (69 (27%) v 4 (6%) scored > or = 8 on hospital anxiety and depression scale-D; P = 0.004) with no significant difference between general practitioners and consultants. General practitioners were significantly more likely to show suicidal thinking than were consultants (36 (14%) v 3 (5%); P = 0.04) but not managers (9 (13%)). No significant difference could be found between the three groups on any other measure.


CONCLUSIONS
The levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in senior doctors and managers in the NHS seem to be high and perhaps higher than expected.
Caplan
R P
RP
Department of Psychiatry, Lincoln County Hospital.
D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D003253:Consultants / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D006740:Hospital Administrators / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D013405:Suicide; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology