There have been tremendous strides forward in providing resources for physicians to seek care for their own mental and behavioral health in recent years—and in making them feel safer to seek that help. But there’s still a lot of work to be done to ensure that physicians, residents and medical students can take care of their own well-being.
Toppling the stigma that still swirls around the topic of mental health and breaking down systemic barriers that prevent physicians, residents, fellows and medical students from seeking available care are key to making even greater progress.
AMA survey data published in 2022 found that more than 60% of physicians reported one or more symptoms of burnout, noted Humayun Chaudhry, DO, CEO of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). While the physician burnout rate improved last year, to 48.2%, “that's still too high,” he said.
Dr. Chaudhry’s comments came at a panel discussion he moderated at the 2025 AMA State Advocacy Summit held last month in Carlsbad, California. Experts discussed what it will take to ensure that medical students, residents and practicing physicians will feel safe receiving care for their health and well-being. Dr. Chaudhry highlighted the importance of organizations coming together, including building on FSMB’s landmark 2018 report on physician health and well-being.
“One of the reasons there has been an acceleration of the pace of change in the past five years has been the collaboration between stakeholders on this,” Stefanie Simmons, MD, chief medical officer of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, said during the panel discussion. “As we think about how we move forward in this next phase, we need to continue to deepen that collaboration.”
The AMA stepped up its ongoing efforts to improve physician well-being and the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation was created—in the wake of Dr. Breen’s tragic suicide—to help fight for the professional well-being and mental health of physicians and other health professionals. Working with the FSMB, Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, Federation of State Physician Health Programs and other leading organizations, these are among the wins for physicians in recent years:
- More than 30 state medical and other health care licensing boards and more than 500 hospitals and health systems have improved their licensing or credentialing applications so that they don’t include stigmatizing language and intrusive questions about past mental health care or substance use disorder treatment. The changes have benefited more than one million physicians and other health care professionals. AMA advocacy and policy has been part of nearly every one of these efforts.
- The AMA partnered with medical societies and hospital associations in Iowa, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia to successfully advocate for statewide changes to credentialing applications to remove stigmatizing language.
- Last year the first insurance company, PacificSource Health Plans, became recognized as one of the Wellbeing First Champions recognized by the ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare, a national coalition that the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation leads and with which the AMA works closely.
But more work needs to be done to reduce stigma, not just by individuals but by medicine working together to make changes.
“We need to work in coalitions,” said Dr. Simmons, MD. “We need to support physician health programs, remove stigmatizing language on credentialing and licensing applications, and be ready to work with everyone who might not be ready to make changes. Removing stigma takes time, so we also have to be as patient as we are purposeful.”
Learn more with this AMA issue brief on the campaign to support the health and well-being medical students, residents and physicians (PDF).
More physician health programs
State physician health programs, which got their start in the 1970s, are a confidential resource for physicians, and sometimes other health professionals, to get mental health help, including help for substance-use disorders.
“Physician health programs, through the work they do, actually make medicine safer by ensuring healthy physicians,” said Michael J. Baron, MD, MPH, president of the Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSHP). He also is medical director of the Tennessee Medical Foundation, which is the Volunteer State’s physician health program.
Physician health programs “have a long track record of helping impaired physicians not only get healthy—but return to practice safely,” Dr. Baron said, adding that the FSPHP has recently moved to support stronger confidentiality of program records and referrals. That includes application protections that permit nondisclosure of protected health information on licensure, credentialing, and insurance applications when there is participation in a physician health program.
Dr. Baron also pointed to a new effort by the Federation of State Physician Health Programs to accredit programs that evaluate and treat physicians. The FSHP Evaluation and Treatment Accreditation program will help physician health programs send participants to appropriate programs, ensure best practices, and help with insurance-utilization review.
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The FSPHP has also partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to use their Interactive Screening Program, a wellness tool to help prevent physician deaths by suicide. The Tennessee Medical Foundation started using the tool in 2020, and it has had more than 840 users.
“Physician health programs save lives and they save careers,” said Dr. Baron, who himself has been sober for a quarter of a century after an intervention. “I’m really open with my whole recovery story. It’s on the internet because it helps to reduce stigma, and stigma is lethal, that worry about getting help because getting help is so crucial.”
Remove systemic barriers
There are other systemic barriers that stop physicians from seeking care, noted Elizabeth Struble, MD, a rural family physician in Northern Indiana. For example, physicians need the OK to take sufficient time off to get care. They also need to find a physician in the community to see them who is not already treating any of their patients.
She said it is time—from an institutional standpoint—to identify the system barriers to receiving care so that colleagues actually use the help that is available.
Physicians “need to take advantage of the resources that are going to be offered,” she said. At the same time, health care organizations “need to make it OK that you take advantage of it.”
Dr. Struble highlighted that she is working within her health system to remove stigmatizing language from credentialing applications.
“At every step, from my own hospital medical staff to leaders across the system, there’s been incredible openness and support,” said Dr. Struble. “We’re making progress, but it’s one step at a time. I’m doing this work not just because I know how valuable it is, but I hear from my colleagues how much it needs to be done.”
Delve deep into the systemic changes necessary to address physician burnout, depression and suicide with an AMA webinar, March 5, noon CST. Learn more and register now.
