Supporting your Mental Health
Overview
Whilst postgraduate training is rewarding, it can also be one of the most demanding periods of a clinical career.
As a postgraduate doctor, dentist or public health practitioner in training (PGDiT), you are simultaneously required to develop clinical competence, attend regional teaching, work in busy and often unpredictable environments, sit high stakes examinations, prepare your portfolio and frequently rotate between posts and sites. Throughout all of this, you’re also caring for patients which can be challenging itself. It’s incredibly common and entirely understandable that these competing demands can take their toll, especially when it can be difficult to separate your professional from your personal life.
Doctors and dentists experience higher rates of stress, burnout, and mental ill-health than the general working population, and they can also find seeking help the most difficult. But it doesn't need to be.
Confidential support is available to every PGDiT in our region, and accessing it is a normal, professional response to a demanding role.
About this section
The information contained in these pages will help you to:
- Understand the specific mental health and wellbeing challenges that can affect PGDiTs and recognise when you or a colleague may need support
- Access deanery-funded counselling and psychological support through services specifically commissioned for PGDiTs in Yorkshire and Humber
- Find resources and self-management strategies to help you maintain and improve your wellbeing
- Identify external services and support directories that can help with specific concerns
If you are in a crisis or need urgent support
If you are struggling with your mental health right now and need to speak to someone, the following services are available 24/7:
- NHS Practitioner Health Crisis Line: Text NHSPH to 85258
- BMA Confidential Counselling Line: Call 0330 1231245
- Samaritans: Call 116 123
The NHS Frontline Service can be contacted 24/7 by texting FRONTLINE to 85258 and their helpline is available between 7am and 11pm by calling: 0300 1317000.
If you are in immediate danger, please call 999 or visit your nearest Accident and Emergency Department