A third of Europe’s doctors, nurses suffer depression: WHO

Agencies :

One in three doctors and nurses in Europe report suffering from depression or anxiety, a study published Friday by the European branch of the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The rate is five times higher than that among the general population in Europe, the report said.

“The mental health crisis among our health workers is a health security crisis, threatening the integrity of our health systems,” WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said in a statement.

“More than one in 10 have thought about ending their lives or hurting themselves. This is an unacceptable burden on those who care for us,” he said.

Doctors and nurses who experience violence, work consistently long hours, and work in shifts (especially at night) are much more likely to be depressed and anxious and to have suicidal thoughts, the report said.

They also show double the prevalence of suicidal thoughts compared to the general population.

Nurses and women doctors are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, while men doctors are more likely to develop alcohol addiction, the report said.

Health workers in Latvia and Poland reported the highest levels of depression, with almost half of respondents.

The countries with the lowest reported levels were Denmark and Iceland, at around 15 percent.

The study — based on 90,000 responses from health workers in the 27 European Union countries as well as Iceland and Norway — also revealed that a third of doctors and nurses had experienced bullying or violent threats at work in the past year.

Ten percent experienced physical violence and/or sexual harassment.
One in four doctors worked more than 50 hours per week, the report said.

More than 30 percent of doctors and a quarter of nurses are on temporary employment contracts, “which is strongly linked to increased anxiety about job security”, the report said.

It called for zero tolerance of violence and harassment in healthcare settings, a reform to end the culture of overtime and long working hours, and guaranteed access to mental health services for healthcare professionals.

The measures were even more urgent given the lack of healthcare personnel across Europe, the report said.

“With Europe facing a shortage of nearly one million health workers by 2030, we cannot afford to lose them to burnout, despair, or violence,” Kluge said.