Disclosure of Mental Illness in Medical Practitioners – Demystifying Fears about Professional Impacts – Expert Insights for Health Professionals

Expert Insights – Black Dog Institute Podcasts

Medical professionals face significant challenges when they are experiencing an episode of mental illness. Their doctors play a dual role as both the health provider and colleague who could report to the medical board and affect another health provider’s capacity to practice. This can hinder help-seeking in health providers, increase stigma, and delay early intervention.

This panel session examines the barriers to disclosure for medical professionals and demystify the threshold for reporting to the medical board for impairments in the context of mental health disorders. We also discuss new resources and programs to support health practitioners in self-care and support-seeking.

Panelists

Phoebe Holdenson Kimura – General Practitioner and Lived Experience Representative
Peter Baldwin – Clinical Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist at Black Dog Institute
Kay Wilhelm – Liaison Psychiatrist at St Vincent’s Hospital, Professor at University of Notre Dame and Conjoint Professor at UNSW Psychiatry

Dr Carol Newall – Facilitator
Recording and sound production – Nathan Bell
Voiceover – Cameron Banks, Black Dog Institute