This post discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Or reach out to the Linn County Mental Health Access Center at 319-892-5612 or Foundation 2 Crisis Services at 319-362-2174. Both are open 24/7.
I recently read an article published by Today.com, written by Meghan Holohan, remembering the death by suicide of Dr. Lorna Breen, an emergency room physician at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, in April 2020. At the heart of Holohan’s article lies the disturbing fact that this tragedy might have been prevented had the doctor not faced the social and professional stigma associated with seeking help for her mental health.
In the wake of her death, her family founded the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the mental health of health care workers by reducing the stigma. Dr. Breen was a first responder during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when, already deluged by the surge of critically-ill patients, she contracted the virus herself and began to suffer symptoms of depression. Her family saw her struggling, but could only watch helplessly as Lorna continued to push herself, hiding her depression, fearing that asking for help would undermine her credibility with colleagues and jeopardize her career as a physician.
Holohan’s article quotes Dr. Stefanie Simmons, chief medical officer at the Dr. Lorna Breen Healthcare Heroes’ Foundation who says, “Health care workers identify that the No. 1 reason why they don’t receive mental health care is fear of stigma.” To address this, the foundation has initiated projects to raise the profile of hospitals and licensing boards unprejudiced against physicians who’ve sought mental health care in the past, in support of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Act to provide suicide prevention resources and training materials, and continuing the fight against the stigma that dogs mental health.
Dr. Courtney Barrows McKeown, a general surgeon interviewed for Holohan’s article, once felt compelled to hide her ongoing battle with depression or risk irreparable damage to her career. She says, “ I made a lot of progress with (my mental health) and part of it was sharing my story, which helped eliminate a lot of the shame." But even with the efforts of the Breen Foundation and other mental health advocates, it’s hard for many employees not to worry that asking for help with depression might have consequences.
This stigma that persists, even among physicians whose proximity to health and health care should make them more understanding than most, isn’t news to anyone who suffers or loves someone who suffers from depression. Though the intensity of their profession increases the risk of suicide or suicidal thoughts in physicians, any sufferer of mental illness who delays treatment or ignores returning symptoms is in danger.
The right approach differs for every sufferer, but the omnipresent stigma is a barrier to treatment that requires patience and understanding from anyone seeking to help a friend or loved one. And perhaps most important of all is to revive and preserve hope in depression sufferers by pushing aside the stigma and pressing ahead, as the Breen Foundation does, letting nothing stand between mental health patients and the treatments that can save their lives.
Read Meghan Holohan’s full article on Today.com: https://www.today.com/health/coronavirus/dr-lorna-breen-suicide-covid-5-years-later-rcna198206