12 September, 2016

Work-life imbalance 'afflicts' doctor couples too

Doctors too don't seem to be immune to the disease called 'occupational hazard'. Hyderabad-based psychiatristsare reporting increased incidence of old mates from medical college approaching them for help in dealing with work-life crises. And these happen to practising doctor couples in particular. While mostly such `patients' turn up pretending to seek treatment for their children's behavioural problems, but a little probing by psychiatrists often brings to surface the marital discord in their own lives which is the cause of what was touted as a 'problem' in the kids.

Though the number of cases involving doctors seeking psychiatrist help may not be high -at three or four couples a month -a survey by a city-based psychiatrist found that three in 10 doctor couples lived with marital discord that in turn affected their children.

"It is important that couples who are both doctors realise that they are as vulnerable as other working couples in developing psychiatric morbidity. This is more so in case of doctor couples working in emergency departments," said Dr Kandrakonda Srinivas, a neuro-psychiatry consultant in Kukatpally . Those high on the vulnerability list are couples who are surgeons, anaesthetists, paediatricians and gynaecologists, who work long hours and have to attend to unscheduled emergencies which ultimately affect the time they devote to interpersonal relations.

"Besides affecting their marital life, it also leaves work-related psychological health effects that include burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fatigue, stress, depression and anxiety," said Dr Srinivas, who said he sees three or four doctor couples a month with such problems.

Ditto in case of Dr Yerra Sridhar Raju, state president of Telangana chapter of Indian Psychiatric Society, who counsels four-five doctor couples a month at his hospital in Warangal, and maintains that such occurrence is more or less consistent across the state.

"The causes for marital discord are many among working doctor couples, but it mainly surrounds on one question -Who looks after children and other family affairs when both are doctors," said Dr Sridhar Raju. Interestingly, he points out that in spite of disharmony, such couples prefer to stay together due to several reasons.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

12.09.2016

Attitude makes you different from others, while ego makes you alone from others