Is your doctor healthy enough? The threat of depression

On Friday, April 7, Kenya joined the world in marking World Health Day, a day themed: ‘Depression: Let Us Talk’.

Depression affects people of all ages and walks of life. Caregivers in the health sector, the doctors, are not spared either.

Whenever we fall sick, we always peg all our hopes on doctors.

Each time we pour out our problems expecting instant panacea, but do we get the results we expected?

Flavio Mugendi is a doctor at the Nazareth Hospital Limuru, Kiambu County and says his career is a difficult one; one has to share and carry the burden of the world.

“Doctors are trained to save lives, but many at times it fails and your patient dies. These moments are usually very traumatizing and depressing,” notes Dr Mugendi.

“I once served a patient and by bad lack he died, that really affected me, I kept on thinking what I did not do right to save their life.”

Many medics like Mugendi go through this tasking routine every day, and a good number end up in depression, and sometimes even worse.

Dr Elizabeth Walla, a former Kenya Medical Association (KMA) CEO, says the dangers of stress, depression and overall mental health thwarts a doctor’s ability to perform the simplest of tasks.

“We have received so many calls of doctors who need help. Most of them who are depressed turn to alcohol, others turn to social media and start posting alarming posts,” she argues.

“You can tell a doctor who is depressed. They start missing work and failing to accomplish small tasks. By this you can tell they are mentally ill.”

Dr Walla says tough times facing medics mean many doctors are forced to work for long hours and in different busy hospitals each day to make ends meet, putting their personal health and duties on the line.

“Poor pay among doctors is also to blame for depression, most of the doctors who work in government hospital are paid poorly and they are forced to work extra hours in private facilities to make ends meet. A doctor who is fatigued can easily be depressed and this has serious consequences.”

Dr Elly Opot, a surgeon, says a doctor who is depressed, fatigued or stressed is a threat to the life of a patient, and many Kenyan doctors are sacrificing their efficiency while balancing duties in public and private hospitals.

“A doctor’s work requires high concentration and fatigue weighs down on the doctor. With this, he/she might lose concentration. For example, if you are a surgeon and you have fatigue, you can commit a grave mistake for example cut wrong organs, leave a scissor in the patient’s body during surgery and many more.”

Depression is a common mental illness characterized by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities that people normally enjoy, added to inability to carry out daily activities, for 14 days or longer.