The Hidden Cost of Care: Physician Burnout, Anxiety, Depression & the Mental Health Crisis in Healthcare

Physicians, surgeons, nurses, and healthcare workers carry the emotional weight of life-and-death decisions every day. While the world relies on their resilience, compassion, and expertise, many silently suffer from burnout, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and imposter syndrome. These struggles not only compromise their well-being but ripple into their marriages, parenting, and long-term life satisfaction.

Burnout by the Numbers: What the Data Reveals

In 2024, 43.2% of U.S. physicians reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout. Although this marks a slight improvement from 48.2% in 2023 and 53% in 2022, the rates remain alarmingly high¹. During the height of the pandemic in 2021–22, burnout peaked at 62.8% among physicians².

Which Specialties Are Most Affected?

In the most recent survey from the American Medical Association:

• Emergency medicine: 52.2%

• Family medicine: 46.4%

• Obstetrics & Gynecology: 45.8%

• Pediatrics: 42.1%

• Internal medicine: 42%

• Hospital medicine: 40.6%³

  
  

Depression, Suicidal Ideation & Imposter Syndrome

According to a 2023 Medscape survey, 23% of physicians reported experiencing clinical depression⁴. Other global studies estimate that nearly 30% of healthcare professionals suffer from depression, and 16.7% report experiencing suicidal ideation⁵. These numbers are sobering when paired with the estimated 300–400 physician suicides annually in the U.S., a rate that is more than double that of the general population⁶.

Behind the scenes, many physicians struggle with imposter syndrome—feeling like frauds despite years of training, clinical success, and recognition. This internalized pressure erodes self-confidence and can lead to overworking, withdrawal, and emotional detachment from both patients and loved ones.

The Human Cost: Relationships, Sleep, and Emotional Distance

Burnout and depression don’t stay at the hospital. They travel home—showing up as irritability with spouses, emotional withdrawal from children, disrupted sleep, sexless marriages, and a chronic sense of emptiness. Many doctors silently suffer through insomnia or sleep just 3–4 hours per night, only to show up for surgeries or rounds in a fog of fatigue.

When untreated, this cycle can impact life satisfaction, increase divorce rates, and reduce the joy and purpose many originally found in practicing medicine.

Medical Leave, FMLA, and Mental Health Disability for Physicians

While many healthcare workers hesitate to take time off, more physicians are now using FMLA, short-term disability, and workers’ compensation to recover from mental health conditions. Taking a medical leave of absence for burnout is no longer taboo—though stigma and professional repercussions still linger.

Terms often searched include:

• “Mental health leave for doctors”

• “Doctor burnout FMLA”

• “Therapy for surgeons”

• “Mental health support for medical professionals”

• “Disability for anxiety and depression in healthcare”

  
  

It’s important to advocate for policies that protect clinician well-being and provide adequate support for those who step away to heal.

What Holistic Therapy Can Offer Healthcare Professionals

At Your Holistic Therapist, we specialize in supporting healthcare professionals. We help physicians, surgeons, nurses, and therapists:

• Reconnect with purpose through compassion satisfaction

• Develop healthy emotional boundaries with patients

• Learn how to attune to their own nervous systems

• Reduce decision-making anxiety and self-doubt

• Heal from perfectionism and rebuild emotional intimacy at home

• Navigate leave of absence, return-to-work anxiety, and professional transitions

  
  

You’ve dedicated your life to caring for others. It’s time someone helps you care for yourself.

American Medical Association, “2024 National Physician Burnout & Depression Report.”

Endnotes:

1) American Medical Association, “2024 National Physician Burnout & Depression Report.”

2) American Medical Association, “Physician Well-Being During COVID-19.”

3) American Medical Association, “2024 Burnout Data by Specialty.”

4) Medscape, “Physician Burnout & Depression Report 2023.”

5) Times of India, “Global Healthcare Worker Depression & Suicidal Ideation Study,” accessed July 2025.

6) Wikipedia, “Physician Suicide in the United States,” accessed July 2025.

Exhausted female doctor lying face down on bed, overwhelmed by burnout, stress, and emotional fatigue—symbolizing the hidden toll of healthcare on mental health.