Female Physicians Experience Increasing Rates of Isolation, Burnout and Suicide Risk
- by Amber Baker
- Published
- Environment
The societal aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to surface in ways that extend beyond infection and mortality statistics, with one sector in particular yet to rebound after carrying much of the pandemic’s burden: U.S. health care. A large national study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings now adds social isolation as a measurable and consequential factor in physician well-being, finding that physicians in the U.S.—especially women and those in the early and middle stages of their careers—experience higher levels of social isolation than other workers, with significantly increased risks of burnout, reduced professional fulfillment, and suicidal ideation.
The authors of the study note that these associations persist even after adjusting for age, gender, relationship status, and hours worked per week, suggesting that isolation among physicians is not simply a byproduct of workload or pandemic restrictions, but may be embedded in the structure of modern medical practice.1 2
The study, which surveyed 3,103 physicians from November 2020 to March 2021, found that physicians report more feelings of isolation than other healthcare professionals, and more than workers in non-health care fields, with isolation scores being higher among single physicians with no children. Women notably experienced a higher degree of social isolation than men, and physicians aged 35 to 44 years had the highest rates within that age range. Each one-point increase in social isolation score was associated with a 10 percent increase in the odds of burnout and a 9 percent increase in the odds of reporting suicidal ideation, demonstrating a measurable increase in risk as isolation levels rise.1 2
These findings emerge at a time when the U.S. health care system remains chronically overextended and operating at a sustained high intensity, even after the pandemic’s departure, suggesting that increased workload and constant patient interaction do not necessarily protect against professional isolation and may, in some cases, exacerbate it. The study’s authors further note that long work hours, productivity pressures, and expanding electronic medical record (EMR) demands may erode meaningful camaraderie and workplace interaction—raising concerns that efficiency-driven care models may inadvertently increase professional disconnection.1
Social Isolation in Physicians Linked to Burnout, Suicidal Ideation
The study concludes that social isolation is associated with increased burnout, a condition that gained momentum during the pandemic, which the World Health Organization (WHO) classified as an “occupational phenomenon.” Broadly defined as chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, burnout among physicians peaked in the height of the pandemic, with almost 63 percent reporting symptoms of burnout, according to a 2022 study. The Mayo Clinic Proceedings authors caution that while their findings cannot establish causation, social isolation and burnout may reinforce one another, creating a self-reinforcing cycle that becomes difficult to break.1 3 4
Physicians in Private Practice are Happier Than Those Working for Institutions
Among the medical specialties, physicians working in pathology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, radiology, pediatric subspecialties, general surgery, anesthesiology, and emergency medicine scored the highest for social isolation. Veterans’ hospital physicians ranked worst for social isolation, followed by active military, with private practice physicians receiving the best scores for social isolation, according to the study results.
The authors highlight that physicians in private practice—who often retain greater autonomy and continuity of professional relationships—consistently reported lower isolation scores than those working in large institutional or government-run systems. The study concluded:
Social isolation is associated with increased burnout, suicidal ideation, and lower professional fulfillment, and is more common among US physicians than workers in other fields.1 2
American Medical Association Warns of “Worsening Crisis” as Physician Shortages Surge
The findings come on the heels of the American Medical Association (AMA) ringing the alarm since 2022 about projected physician shortages on the horizon, with a more recent call to Congress to “act now” or the shortage crisis—which they say is now already here—will worsen. Just a few years ago, the AMA warned of a physician shortage in the 130,000s. Now, they say, the crisis is already here and worsening quickly. The convergence of workforce shortages, escalating burnout, and rising physician isolation raises questions about the long-term sustainability of the current healthcare delivery model.5 6
Among the suggested solutions, which they say “aren’t difficult to find,” one, is to remove the bureaucratic “red tape” plaguing many healthcare professionals in clinical settings today. “The process starts with removing the administrative headaches that fuel burnout and are contributing to early retirement decisions by physicians,” the AMA says in a statement on its website. Reforming “antiquated” medical care and expanding Medicare-funded graduate medical education (GME) residency availability, with particular emphasis on critical shortage areas such as primary care and psychiatry, trail closely behind.5
However, critics note that policy proposals often focus on pipeline expansion rather than addressing the working conditions driving physicians out of practice altogether. As the study authors note, “Even with these uncertainties, general recommendations to combat isolation and promote belonging seem advisable; however, without addressing the broader structural challenges in the health care delivery system, such efforts alone are unlikely to substantially improve physician well-being.”1
Burnout Denial Among Physicians Can Harm Patients and Colleagues
While physician burnout and its impacts on the quality and accessibility of health care in the U.S. are causes alone for concern, it also increases the margin for medical error by a staggering 200%, according to one study. Researchers have warned that clinician distress not only affects physicians themselves but can directly compromise patient safety and quality of care.
Charlie Chan, MD, chief medical officer at University Health Network in Toronto, calls on doctors to be honest with themselves if they find themselves in need of care. The myth that doctors can handle anything is “BS,” he says, and “not sustainable.”
Doctors who recognize they’re having difficulties will be helped. The burned-out physicians who are a real liability are the ones in denial,” he says. “That’s the situation where physicians harm more than just themselves.7
What’s more, doctors consistently rank in the list of top 10 careers with the highest suicide rates, a safety signal that some healthcare experts believe warrants more than just awareness, but action. Suicide among physicians has long been recognized as an occupational hazard, predating the pandemic but intensified by pandemic-era pressures. “Physicians and nurses die by suicide two times the rate of the general public. 400 doctors die by suicide every year, [and that was] pre-pandemic,” Corey Feist, President & Co-Founder of Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and brother-in-law to Dr. Breen—a doctor who took her own life during the coronavirus pandemic—shares. “Training our workforce and our leaders in suicide prevention, as well as [providing] resources, is key, and recognizing that health care 2.0 must include the impact of the work on the worker.”8 9
Stigma Still Keeps Many Health Care Workers from Seeking Mental Health Support
Some experts believe a widespread stigma lingers that prevents many health care workers from admitting—much less pursuing—the mental healthcare they need. According to ChenMed, a physician-led organization that operates a value-based care model designed to reduce volume-driven pressure on clinicians, a root cause of burnout in healthcare is leadership failing to adequately support their teams.9
“Health care leadership has not given mental health care access the attention it needs. Further, healthcare professionals are riddled with a stigma to ‘pull themselves up by the bootstraps’ and work tirelessly until they are burned out, depressed, traumatized, suicidal, and sometimes—as in Dr. Lorna Breen’s case—all four.” The authors of the Mayo Clinic study similarly caution that without structural change, individual-level interventions alone are unlikely to reverse the trends they observed.9
Female Physicians Face 76 Percent Higher Risk of Suicide Compared to General Population
Findings from a large meta-analysis conducted by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2024 further emphasizes the disproportionate mental health risks faced by women physicians. Reviewing data across multiple studies, researchers found that male physicians faced a five percent higher risk of death by suicide compared to the general population, while female physicians faced a 76 percent higher risk.10
Although rates of physician suicide have trended downward in recent years, female physicians continue to face a 24 percent elevated risk compared to the general population, suggesting that overall improvements may not offset the growing risks faced disproportionately by women physicians.10
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