MHM Magazine

Issue 4 | 2021 | MENTALHEALTHMATTERS | 25 MHM INTRODUCTION Burnout in the medical profession has long been a hotly debated topic and, since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, even more so, considering the added pressures brought about by these unprecedented times. Burnout amongst doctors in South Africa was a problem even before Covid with burnout rates ranging from 59% to 100% depending on the research setting. The inspiration for the title was taken from an article by Professor Amy Houtrow namely, ‘Addressing Burnout: Symptom Management Versus Treating the Cause’, suggesting that we should stop trying to manage the symptoms of burnout in individual doctors but rather treat the cause of burnout namely our work environment. Professor Houtrouw proposes that “focusing on burnout suggests the healthcare provider has the problem, and intervention should be at provider level. The implication is that healthcare providers who experience burnout are not mindful or resilient enough”. It’s somewhat insulting to be told that our distress is our weakness and that “the symptoms can be adequately addressed with meditation or mindfulness”. Her tongue in cheek remark that “healthcare providers find themselves in a double bind that no amount of baby goat yoga will fix” unfortunately rings very true. In a similar vein, Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald, a UK based Clinical Psychologist and Health and Wellbeing Consultant, expressed her frustration in a LinkedIn article; ‘Yoga is not a wellbeing strategy’. For the record, neither of the authors has any objection to yoga itself, and By Prof. Stoffel Grobler Psychiatrist Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, dr.stof@mweb.co.za BURNOUT IN DOCTORS: IS IT ME OR IS IT ‘THEM’?