WMA Statement on Physician Mental Health Care

Adopted by the 76th WMA General Assembly, Porto, Portugal, October 2025

PREAMBLE

Good mental health of physicians and other health and care professionals is a prerequisite for high quality medical care and patient safety.

The WHO Working for Health Action Plan 2022-2030 emphasizes that many challenges faced by health and care professionals around the world, including i.a. labor market failures and substantial underinvestment that have a “direct effect on physical and mental health and worker well-being as they undermine their health, social and economic contribution to society.”

Physicians and other health and care professionals may experience mental health conditions that are linked to burnout, long working hours, high-stakes decision-making, and emotional burdens specific to their profession. If not addressed in time, mental health conditions can become chronic and have serious consequences in all areas of life. They can even lead to an increased risk of suicidal ideation among physicians.

The prevalence of mental health conditions among physicians and other health and care professionals worldwide highlights the need for greater attention to their psychosocial well-being.

Pressure from employers, extended working hours, or experiences of violence, combined with access to drugs and medication, can also give rise to situations in which physicians require help and support. These and other factors can also contribute to an increased risk of substance abuse among medical professionals. Since the mental health of physicians impacts on the quality of health care and patient safety, ensuring the well-being of physicians is essential.

Promoting physician mental health requires comprehensive action that ensures appropriate treatment and rehabilitation without stigmatization.

Several countries have implemented specific programs that have demonstrated effectiveness in providing comprehensive care to physicians affected by mental health conditions.

A history of mental health conditions does not inherently preclude a physician from providing valuable, high-quality patient care. Physicians should be supported through return-to-work programs and reasonable workplace accommodations to ensure their successful reintegration and continued contribution to patient care.

Further research regarding mental health of physicians is needed to better understand the problem and identify best practices in terms of mental health promotion and treatment, including attention to diversity and equity among physician populations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The World Medical Association reaffirms its Statement on Physician Well-being, calls on the relevant authorities to collaborate with healthcare professional organisations on the issue of physician mental health and urges its constituent members and physicians to:

1. Advocate for the development of effective policies that protect the mental health of physicians and ensure sufficient resources to enable appropriate care.
2. Encourage concerted efforts for the prevention and early detection of mental health conditions among physicians, ensuring confidential access to evaluation, treatment, and follow-up without fear of professional repercussions. Promote physicians’ physical and mental well-being through specific strategies, including during higher education and postgraduate training. These strategies should provide support for those experiencing mental conditions and ensure that resources to promote positive mental health are available to all clinicians, including those at risk.
3. Promote the development of specific mental health intervention programs and protocols for physicians that address the problem from a healthcare, social and professional point of view, with confidentiality and without stigma and encouraging physical and psychological rehabilitation. This should include programs to support physicians to overcome addictions, which could be caused by occupational psychosocial risk factors. Medical associations should promote programs helping physicians return to practice after treatment and recovery.
4. Ensure the destigmatization of mental health and substance use disorders in physicians by ensuring access to treatment and follow-up without disproportionate risk of adverse licensure or certification actions. Any restrictions on medical practice should be based on an objective, case-by-case assessment involving relevant regulatory bodies, with full consideration of patient safety, clinical recovery, and the rights of the physician.
5. Duly consider the experience acquired by physicians recovered from mental health disorders in efforts to overcome stigmatization, discrimination and to reduce inequalities.
6. Support and expand physicians’ mental health research and education to identify and implement best practices.
7. Increase awareness and promote comprehensive training on physician mental health across healthcare, academic, and institutional settings and at all stages of medical education.
8. Encourage research on the prevalence and impact of psychosocial risks factors in the medical profession.
9. National medical associations should promote the establishment of mechanisms such as observatories or dedicated monitoring initiatives to recognize, assess, and track mental health challenges among physicians, and to develop evidence-based proposals for their prevention and resolution.
10. Consider and promote measures to create positive and supportive workplace cultures that foster open communication, teamwork and a sense of belonging where physicians feel valued and respected, including leadership training, peer support initiatives, and confidential channels for raising concerns without fear of retribution.