MHM Magazine

SADAG Office 011 234 4837 Suicide Crisis Helpline 0800 567 567 Dr Reddy’s Mental Health Helpline 0800 21 22 23 24 Hour Cipla Mental Health Helpline 0800 456 789 Pharmadynamics Trauma Helpline 0800 20 50 26 Adcock Depression & Anxiety Helpline 0800 70 80 90 ADHD Helpline 0800 55 44 33 24 Hour Substance Abuse Helpline 0800 12 13 14 The South African Depression and Anxiety Group TheSADAG Website: www.sadag.org and now this is being amplified by facing a pandemic. Lesego’s story is not an unfamiliar one in our country. The issues around healthcare worker burnout have been around long before Covid gave them a spotlight. Historically, we heard about these issues mostly from reactive media around the fatal consequences of ignoring this issue when it comes to suicides in the medical profession or car crashes after a long call, but until fairly recently we have not had the space to discuss them more proactively- but the pandemic has certainly changed that. The documentary ‘A Quiet Implosion’ focuses on three in- depth interviews with three young doctors. The hard facts about why this happens are well known, and so this documentary rather seeks to explore the narratives of junior doctors in a response to the culture of burnout in an attempt to spark conversation about these issues and normalise speaking about their realities. It’s rare doctors ever speak out, and until that culture changes, we will likely not be able to address the root causes of burnout. Dr Nic Thompson shares his story of needing to take time off medicine and teach after reaching burnout and described the breaking point as: ‘I just couldn’t even pick up my phone to tell them I’m not coming in.’ After his time away he returned to clinical medicine and shares the importance of being kind to one another in a system that is often so rushed, overwhelmed and under-resourced that the mentality of scarcity is often pervasive and results of healthcare workers dehumanising each other in a bid to get through their work. He emphasises the importance of individual actions in contributing towards building a better culture in medicine and whilst there are systemic issues that do need addressing, there is still so much within our control as healthcare workers. Dr Anesu Mbizvo left clinical medicine to teach yoga after a gruelling time in the state system where she says: “The level of doctors not being able to cope is more than any doctor knows.” Her focus is now on holistic wellness and promoting a sustainable lifestyle. Her honest and vulnerable sharing is rare in medical spaces and important when thinking about health not just for the patient but also for the healthcare worker and the system at large. Dr Brendan Savary is a medical officer in Johannesburg and shares how his work has impacted not only his mental health but also his physical health, family and emotional wellbeing. He advocates for more attention to these issues at a training level and says: “There needs to be space in the medical curriculum to reinforce health coping mechanisms.” We need to advocate for better training around the issues we will face as healthcare workers and be allowed to learn healthy coping skills and the ability to advocate for ourselves and our patients. Many have the argument that the problem is too big to tackle, but we can’t ignore our individual power and agency in what we contribute to the problem or what we contribute to solutions. As Dr Nic Thompson shares in the documentary: “These are not challenges that are unaddressable, these are not lofty goals…” And whilst we continue to advocate for a change in legislation to address working hours, safety at hospitals and access to time off when it’s needed, we must also continue to shift the narrative about what is normalised in the culture of healthcare and share the lived experiences behind the brave faces of so many healthcare workers. All healthcare workers, not just doctors, often face the reality of burnout and yet the system remains static in its approach to caring for the carers. This is not sustainable, and simply put, when healthcare workers are needed to face the next great health challenges of antibiotic resistance and climate change, we won’t be able to do so unless the healthcare system ensures the well-being of their workforce to have the capacity to care for patients with dignity. If we don’t stop the quiet implosion of burnout in our healthcare sector, it will destabilise all of us and its impacts will be compounded in an already weak healthcare system. However, there is hope. We can start to change narratives and norms and eventually tackle the systemic issues for as Margret Mead said: “Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. It is the only thing that ever has.” Issue 3 | 2021 | MENTALHEALTHMATTERS | 7 MHM