Healing the Healers: Addressing the Mental Health Crisis Among Indian Doctors, ETHealthworld

Mumbai: Famously, it is said that doctors make the worst patients. They spend years in medical education, appear for countless exams and undergo rigorous training, all in service of healing others. Yet, when it comes to their own wellbeing, they often tend to be the most underserved.

Behind the white coats and the calm bedside manner is a workforce quietly burning out, navigating crushing workloads, emotional trauma, and a system that has rarely paused to ask if they’re alright.

This year’s National Doctors’ Day poses exactly that question, with the theme “Behind the Mask: Who Heals the Healers?”

On this occasion, ETHealthworld spoke to doctors fraternity from across the country to understand what support mechanisms exist for them, how they deal with mental health issues and what needs to change to make things better.

A System Stretched to its Limits

“Indian doctors operate in one of the most demanding healthcare environments in the world,” says Dr Dilip Bhanushali, National Immediate Past President, Indian Medical Association (IMA).

High patient volumes, workforce shortages, medico-legal pressures and increasing incidents of violence against healthcare professionals are among the everyday realities of India’s healthcare system, Dr. Bhanushali notes.

The concern is echoed in scientific literature. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine found that “burnout is highly prevalent among Indian HCPs” and called for burnout to be recognised as “a major healthcare-related problem” requiring timely interventions.

In a recent Behind the Scrubs report 2025 by Knya, a medical lifestyle brand, nearly 83 per cent of doctors in India experience mental or emotional fatigue, with the rate rising to 87 per cent among women.

Fatigue levels are highest in smaller cities, with 85 per cent of respondents in tier 2 and 3 locations reporting emotional or physical exhaustion, compared to 74 per cent in Tier 1 cities.

Half of the over 10,000 healthcare professionals surveyed, report working more than 60 hours a week, and 15 per cent work beyond 80 hours.

“Doctors’ wellbeing is often very low on the priority list. There have been some attempts to introduce and formalise support mechanisms for doctors, but they are far and few in between.

“While some large corporate hospitals and premier institutions have introduced Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), counselling services and wellness initiatives, these remain limited in scope and reach.” Dr Bhanushali added.

The Mental Health Gap

Doctors are routinely exposed to loss and trauma, often processing it alone, but mental health continues to be treated as taboo.A 2025 scoping review published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, pulled together 122 studies conducted in India between 2000 and 2024, gathered from PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.

The review found that more than half of the doctors surveyed across these studies showed significant levels of depression and anxiety.

Researchers believe this is a structural problem rather than an individual one, pointing to sociocultural expectations, work-family conflict, and the stigma attached to seeking mental health support as the common threads running through these findings.

Agreeing that stigma sits at the centre of the problem, Dr Mihir Bapat, Vice Chairman, Orthopedics & Spinal Surgery, Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai, said, “Stigma is one of the major reasons. Many doctors don’t speak about anxiety, depression, burnout or substance use, due to the fear of being judged or considered weak or unfit. They may worry about confidentiality, career progression, licensing or regulatory consequences, and how colleagues or hospitals will respond.”

Elucidating the practical hurdles doctors face, Dr Rajesh Shinde, Director, GI (HPB – Colorectal) & Thoracic Surgical Oncology, Apollo Cancer Centre Western Region Apollo Hospitals said, “Doctors are trained to put patients first, and many naturally prioritise everyone else’s needs before their own. Time constraints, concerns about confidentiality and simply believing they should be able to cope on their own can all become barriers.”

Most medical professionals learn to cope with the emotional aspects of medicine through personal experiences on the job. But teaching these skills during the medical training process might make a significant difference, notes Dr Sanjay Wazir, Medical Director (NCR)- Neonatology and Pediatrics, Motherhood Hospitals, Gurgaon

He recalls, “Some tough times from when I started training are still etched in my mind, and while you do become more proficient with time, you don’t forget those instances.

“I believe including specific training in these areas would really make a difference. It shouldn’t just be a one-off lecture but should form an integral part of medical education and training programs. This is crucial because it not only helps doctors manage themselves emotionally but also improves their communication skills, which leads to better patient care.”

What needs to change?

Real change isn’t possible until physician wellbeing is “treated as an institutional responsibility, rather than an individual burden” and every healthcare institution has a system in place, says Dr Bhanushali.

“The IMA believes that every healthcare institution should have structured physician wellness programmes that include confidential mental health counselling, peer-support groups, reasonable duty hours, adequate rest facilities, periodic health check-ups and zero-tolerance policies toward workplace violence,” he adds.

And while institutional responsibility is beginning to gain recognition, it alone is not enough, says Dr Vinit Banga, Head of Neurology, Fortis Escorts Faridabad, who remains cautiously optimistic.

He adds, “It is reassuring that the importance of the physical and psychological wellbeing of physicians is recognised, but for true change to occur, there need to be improvements in staffing, workplace safety, working hours, availability of mental healthcare, management support, and increased technology to alleviate paperwork.”