GP and wellbeing advocate Dr Anita Raja spoke to Medworld Institute about her experiences as a doctor and the challenges of maintaining good mental health in the profession.
"I was born into a South Asian family, and the dream of having a doctor in your family outweighs any otherworldly desire. My father always wanted me to become a doctor; I was always into performing arts."
Experiencing burnout:
Dr Raja revealed that she has experienced burnout, a common issue among healthcare professionals. She highlighted the overwhelming demand for medical care, lack of access to secondary care, social care, mental health, and housing support as the causes.
"There is huge information overload on the internet, which increases health anxiety and overmedicalisation of normal life. I am a family physician (GP), dealing with people from cradle to grave, all ages, and diverse. Yet, due the huge understaffing and overwhelming demand for medical care, lack of access to secondary care, social care, mental health, and lack of housing support ... we end up managing issues that sometimes leave us helpless and frustrated because we can't meet the patient's need. We are trained to offer high-quality care, and when we fail to meet that standard, we burn out. The BMA has reported that 90% of GPs have felt burnt out at some point in their career, more so post-pandemic."
Despite these challenges, she has learned to take breaks, switch off her phone, engage in mindfulness, and spend quality time with her family. She stresses the importance of being grateful and putting things into perspective, which has helped her maintain her mental health and well-being.
"I sometimes just sit in my garden and listen to the birds chirping. This is the biggest form of appreciation for health and life. I belong to a culture where we are reminded repeatedly to be grateful for what we have. I always try to put things into perspective. My husband and sons play a huge role in maintaining my sanity."
Becoming an advocate for mental health and wellbeing:
Dr Raja is a passionate advocate for wellbeing and mental health, motivated by her own experience of cultural values that silenced her mental health struggles.
"Having a nervous breakdown around the time my son was born in 2013" prompted her to become an advocate.
She worked with Acacia Family Support to spread awareness about perinatal mental health in the South Asian community. Watch: Dr Anita talks about perinatal mental health in Urdu - YouTube.
She believes that our lows and failures help us evolve into better people and highlights the paramount effects of mental health on relationships, "had I not suffered myself, I would have been oblivious of the paramount affect it can have on us and our relationships," she explained.
Dr Raja has also worked to overcome vaccine hesitancy among the BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) community.
"I am multilingual. I used this as a tool during the Covid-19 pandemic. BBC Asian Network was looking for URDU speakers, and I have a background in broadcasting for Pakistan Television. Hence, I recorded four videos for them, which helped spread awareness within our URDU /Hindi-speaking community."
Her awareness of mental health and well-being allowed her to recognise the challenges that the pandemic has brought to healthcare professionals. She also emphasises the need to take care of oneself.
"I think the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time for healthcare professionals. I was pregnant and delivered in August 2020. It was a huge learning curve for us all, reminding us what we had signed up for in a real-world war zone: man vs. virus. The anxiety was real, yet I am glad we all played our roles as healthcare professionals and pulled through."
Advice for other doctors:
Dr Raja advises doctors who want to start attending to their health and well-being to speak to someone and not blame themselves for letting others down. She emphasises the importance of looking after oneself, stating that one can only look after others if they are well enough.
"I try to count my blessings. It's important to never lose insight. Everybody has something to be grateful for."
Her message highlights the importance of maintaining good mental health in the healthcare profession, where burnout and other issues can be common. Her experiences and advice offer valuable insight and encourage healthcare professionals to prioritise their well-being.
"Please, look after yourself. If you are struggling, don't shy away from speaking to your supervisor or your colleagues, and don't blame yourself for letting others down. You can only look after others if you are well enough yourself. If you feel low, depressed, burnt out .... you are more likely to make wrong decisions and put others at risk. Stop and ask yourself if you are safe to work. If you even have a glimmer of doubt, take a step back till you feel fully confident."
You can connect with Dr Anita Raja on the following pages:
Instagram: @dranitaraja
Twitter: @dranitaraja
Website: https://www.dranitaraja.com/
