34
|
Volume1 Issue5
S
upporting
Y
our
P
ractice
Unfortunately, the stigma inour societyassociated
withmental illness still exists.Manypeople, including
dentists, donotwant their community to knowabout
theirmental health struggles. “Yetmental illnesses are
nodifferent thananyother illnesses, and they’revery
common,” saysDr. DavidClark, clinicdirector of dental
services at theOntarioShoresCentre forMental Health
Sciences andCouncilmember of theRoyal Collegeof
Dental SurgeonsofOntario (RCDSO). “Dentists should
not beafraid to talkabout it. Theycanget helpand still
run their practices.”
Feeling thepressure
Runningadental practiceandprovidinghealthcare
canbring its shareof daily stressors—managerial
responsibilities, financial concerns, patient acquisition
and retention, patient expectations andmore.Without
appropriatecopingmechanisms, chronic stress can
haveamajor impact ondentists’ physical andmental
health.
Dentistswhodonot haveassociatesor colleagues
toalleviate someof that stress—bybouncing
off ideasor discussing frustrations—mayalso feel
isolated.
20
%
12
100
/
!
23
%
20%
(7million)of
Canadiansexperience
mental illness in their
lifetime.
1
Womenare
2x
more
likely thanmen to
experiencedepression.
2
12%
of Canadians
experienceananxiety
disorder in their lifetime.
2
20
%
12
100
/
!
23
%
20
%
12
100
/
!
23
%
23%
of Canadiansfindmost
days tobequiteor extremely
stressful.
3
Between
10%
and
15%
of
dentists in theUnitedStates
haveanalcohol ordrug
problem.
4
Mental illnesses are nodifferent thanany other illnesses,
and they’re very common.Dentists shouldnot be afraid to
talkabout it.They can get helpand still run their practices.
Maintaining statusquo
Of thebarriers that couldprevent adentist from
seekinghelp, the struggle tofind a replacement to run
their practice in their absence is significant. However,
“there are a lot of semi-retiredor retireddentistswho
couldbe interested in taking careof one’spractice
while they take a leaveof absence,” notesDr. Clark.
“A lot of dentistswant to retiregradually. There is an
important groupof senior clinicianswhowouldbe
willing todo that.” And there is noneed todisclose
the reasonbehind the leaveof absence if you are
uncomfortablediscussing it.
Somedentistsmay alsobeworried that their license
couldbe revoked if they arediagnosedwith amental
illness or seek assistance for amental healthproblem.
Dr. Clarkwants to reassuredentists that regulatory
bodieswill go a longway tohelp and support their
members. “Dentists and regulatory authorities can
work together,” addsDr.Marcel VanWoensel, registrar
of theManitobaDental Association. “Bydoing so,
we can alsoensure thebest interests of patients and
thepublic areprotected.”
DavidClark
