Doctors (or any other profesionals) with high anxiety

[rouxleaux]

This is something that I have been wondering about for a while now. How many doctors out there that deal with anxiety and depression every day of their lives and how do they get through it? Right now I am in my second year of residency and frankly it is breaking me down. I am miserable the whole time I am at work, I am scared of my staff attendings, mainly what they think of me and if I am or will do anything to make them angry. So I consequently live my life in fear from Monday morning until Friday afternoon I am stressing out. I HATE IT on the flip side I am a doctor already and I want to finish my training so that I can move on with my life and provide for my wife and newly born son. But I am feel like I cant take it any more. I just want to know are there doctors or any other professionals that have severe anxiety and have made it through? I dont want this to stop me from following my dreams but there is only so much one can endure. Just to paint the picture I cry on the way to work because I am anticipating what will happen during the day, or if I will be called out and or ridiculed by my attending. Then stuff it down inside throughout the day and usually I cry on the way on home while I pray to God to take some of this anxiety off of my shoulders.

It was not this bad last year, true I had less responsibility however this year there was an event that put me at odds with the director of my program. Essentially I made a comment that upset her and she has made things very difficult for me this whole year and now I find out that I will be let go at the end of June. So I am sure this is adding stress to my already stressed life. Feeling like all of the faculty view me as a screw up and someone who has failed and is on the way out. So I have the stress of caring what they think plus trying to find somewhere else to finish my residency, plus the pressure of supporting my wife and new born son. Then I am scared that what if I get into another program and it is a similar situation? People who are frankly abusive and I am constantly scared to go to work. I just want to be happy and free from this anxiety I think I would give anything for that.

[jeremyfresno]

Hi roux! I am a pre-med and I'm already experiencing anxiety due to how stressful classes can be and trying to juggle work at the same time. I was talking to my doctor and she told me she suffers from depression and anxiety. She mentioned that it all started in med school due to a lot of work and stress...she gave me advice and said there's nothing wrong with taking meds and just pulling through...you have too!

[laurandisorder]

And from my experience depression and anxiety can affect anyone, from a homeless person to the queen.

I'm not a doctor, but I do work in a professional environment in which I have climbed the ranks kind of quickly. I went from graduate to managing a department of 12 staff VERY quickly. So quickly that older staff formally complained to the Government department!!

I have to speak publicly on almost a daily basis, manage budgets, lead seminars and reach standards of performance and ensure my team does the same. It's stressful, but fortunately I LOVE my job.

I have had to power through the anxiety and keep on trucking because if I don't, if I give up, I let down about 100 people - literally. Not to mention myself. Plus I'll prove the jerks and naysayers right if I can't handle what I have chosen to do.

Get swept up in your work. Celebrate every tiny success; every hour and every day anxiety free and of course your work related successes. Also acknowledge that you can and will make mistakes and learn from them. Unlike a doctor, my mistakes aren't necessarily life or death, but they have the potential to resonate if I f@ck up royally.

And if you HATE, I mean really *HATE* your place of work then move on as soon as you can because environment is tantamount to anxiety. Luckily I have some freaking awesome colleagues too!

[rouxleaux]

And if you HATE, I mean really *HATE* your place of work then move on as soon as you can because environment is tantamount to anxiety. Luckily I have some freaking awesome colleagues too!

Well I will be moving on one way or another unfortunately. Just right now the anxiety is all consuming. I mean I wake up dreading what the day will bring and I go through the day dreading what is to come then I go home dreading what the next day will bring. I am just so so tired of the anxiety. And my biggest fear is that it will never go back to how I was before (anxious but able to manage things). I dont think I have been happy for the last 8 or 9 months because my anxiety has been so out of control. I just want to be happy again, to look at my wife and know things are going to be ok, to look at my son and to know that he will love me regardless of what happens, and that I can take care of all of them. I dont want to go to work hoping for the weekend to get here so I can have a reprieve from the anxiety. It never use to be this severe and I am afraid this is my new base line. I can't live like this I am so tired of being unhappy and scared all the time.

[rouxleaux]

Things have gotten to the point where I just want to give up. I dont know if this is just residency but I keep having the feeling like I will be like this forever. Through out my career I will have to fight and hold back my anxiety. At this point I almost want to get into a field where I dont have to deal with anyone and I can just do my own thing (I dont know like research; except that will make it so I will never be able to pay back my loans). I just want to be happy and want to fix this. If I could have some sort of surgery to remove the part of my brain that causes me to get like this I would do it in a heart beat.