Empathy and mental health in veterinary medicine.
Empathy
Euthanasia
Mental health
Suicide
Veterinary medicine
Journal
Veterinary research communications
ISSN: 1573-7446
Titre abrégé: Vet Res Commun
Pays: Switzerland
ID NLM: 8100520
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
26 Apr 2024
26 Apr 2024
Historique:
received:
12
02
2024
accepted:
15
04
2024
medline:
26
4
2024
pubmed:
26
4
2024
entrez:
26
4
2024
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
In veterinary medicine, the relationship between empathy and mental health presents a complex and important aspect of professional well-being. Veterinarians are frequently exposed to numerous work-related stressors and are therefore more likely to experience mental health disorders and commit suicide. Due to the specific nature of the profession, veterinarians deal with negative patient outcomes, inform owners of unfavourable news, handle heavy workloads, and professional isolation. Psychological stress is a result of all these factors coming together, and it can lead to anxiety, depression, burnout, and even frequently reported suicide. Animal euthanasia has been recognised as a unique professional risk factor that can have harmful psychological effects on veterinary professionals.This paper explores the role of empathy in the mental health of veterinarians and other veterinary staff, and how this might contribute to their vulnerability to psychological stress and suicidal ideation. Empathy plays an important role in interpersonal interactions, while also influencing human-animal relationships, which adds a whole new level of complexity to the doctor-patient dynamic in this field. Veterinarians are responsible for providing compassionate care for both the animals they treat and their owners. They must manage the emotionally demanding work while preserving their mental health by balancing between providing empathetic care and sustaining their own emotional boundaries. To alleviate the negative effects of psychological stress, veterinary professionals require interventions such as peer support groups, stress management training, and mental health support programmes.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38668804
doi: 10.1007/s11259-024-10385-1
pii: 10.1007/s11259-024-10385-1
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Review
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.
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