A new study has shed light on a growing but often overlooked issue within the medical community: doctors themselves are increasingly seeking help for mental health and substance use concerns. 

The research, published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine, shows that mental health and substance use (MHSU) visits among physicians rose significantly during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study, led by Maya A. Gibb from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, followed nearly 30,000 physicians over a 19-year period, from 2003 to 2022. 

It examined how often doctors sought outpatient care for mental health or substance use issues. Interestingly, the researchers found that before the pandemic, the number of physicians seeking such care remained largely steady. 

About 12 percent of doctors each year had at least one mental health or substance-related visit.

But everything changed once the pandemic began. As COVID-19 placed unprecedented pressure on the healthcare system, the number of doctors seeking mental health support rose noticeably. 

During the first two years of the pandemic, the proportion increased to 14.6 percent and then 15.2 percent, showing a clear spike before slightly dipping to 14.4 percent in the third year. 

This trend suggests that the early months of the pandemic took the hardest toll on physicians’ emotional well-being.

The study also revealed that mental health needs varied widely across medical specialties even before COVID-19 struck.

Psychiatrists had the highest share of mental health visits at 28 percent, followed by family physicians at 14 percent, while specialists from other fields stood at around 10 percent.

During the pandemic, mental health visits rose across nearly all specialties, with the exception of psychiatry, which remained stable—possibly because psychiatrists already had higher baseline levels of mental health care use.

The authors of the study point out that the current concern about a mental health “crisis” among physicians is not entirely new. Instead, it reflects a long-standing pattern that the pandemic simply made more visible. 

The emotional strain of long hours, high COVID-19 caseloads, constant exposure to suffering, and the fear of infection all contributed to amplifying a problem that has existed for years.

The findings highlight a crucial message: even those who care for others need care themselves. As the healthcare sector continues to recover from the pandemic, the mental well-being of physicians must be treated as a priority—not just for their sake, but for the health of the system as a whole.