title: Canadian Physicians' Attitudes towards Accessing Mental Health Resources.
abstract: Despite their rigorous training, studies have shown that physicians experience higher rates of mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide compared to the general population. An online questionnaire was sent to a random sample of physicians across Canada to assess physicians' knowledge of the incidence of mental illness among physicians and their attitudes towards disclosure and treatment in a hypothetical situation where one developed a mental illness. We received 139 responses reflecting mostly primary care physicians and nonsurgical specialists. The majority of respondents underestimated the incidence of mental illness in physicians. The most important factors influencing respondent's will to disclose their illness included career implications, professional integrity, and social stigma. Preference for selecting mental health treatment services, as either outpatients or inpatients, was mostly influenced by quality of care and confidentiality, with lower importance of convenience and social stigma. Results from this study suggest that the attitudes of physicians towards becoming mentally ill are complex and may be affected by the individual's previous diagnosis of mental illness and the presence of a family member with a history of mental illness. Other factors include the individual's medical specialty and level of experience. As mental illness is common among physicians, one must be conscious of these when offering treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Providence Care Mental Health Services, 752 King Street West, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 4X3.
authors.forename: Tariq M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University at Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: M Selim
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Asmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University at Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Nadeem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mazhar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University at Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Tariq
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Munshi
authors.affiliation: Queen's University at Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University at Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Dianne L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Groll