SynthesisBMC psychiatry2022
What are the barriers and facilitators to seeking help for mental health in NHS doctors: a systematic review and qualitative study.
Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- What Is the Value of Lived Experience Within Mental Health Professionals, and How Can It Influence Practice? A Systematic Review.International journal of mental health nursing · 2026Pooled it
- Perceived need and help-seeking for psychosocial support among health and social care professionals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring the feasibility of a web-based positive psychology program among anaesthesiologists: an explanatory sequential mixed-methods pilot study.BMC medical education · 2026Trial
- Mental Health Therapy Utilization Among Transgender Medicare Beneficiaries, From 2011 to 2019.Medical care research and review : MCRR · 2026Article
- Barriers to and racial and ethnic differences in mental health care service utilization among staff in a large urban health care system.Psychological services · 2026Article
- Factors influencing implementation of an Alzheimer's disease blood test among UK old age psychiatrists: mixed-methods study using the theoretical domains framework.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- Early Post-implementation Analysis of a Medical Student Mental Health Program.Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry · 2026Article
- Evaluation of SHAPE cognitive therapy coaching for PTSD and depression symptoms in healthcare workers repeatedly exposed to trauma.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- 'Not Angels but Humans' An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Female Nurses With Lived Experience of Self-Harm and Suicidal Behaviours.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Article
- Factors Influencing Perceived Mental Health Service Needs, Self-reported Utilization, and Barriers to Care Among Health System Faculty and Staff.Journal of occupational and environmental medicine · 2026Article
- Predictors of suicidal ideation in UK doctors: retrospective case-control study from NHS Practitioner Health.BJPsych open · 2025Article
- Doctors with mental health difficulties and ADHD.Occupational medicine (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Self-stigma of seeking professional psychological help and its influencing factors among high-risk health care workers for depression and anxiety: a multicenter cross-sectional study.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- A simulation-based network analysis of intervention targets for comorbid symptoms of depression and anxiety in Chinese healthcare workers in the post-dynamic zero-COVID policy era.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- The Experiences of Athletic Trainers After the Death of a Student-Athlete by Suicide.Journal of athletic training · 2025Article
- Facilitators and Barriers to Digital Mental Health Interventions for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adolescents and Young Adults: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Barriers and facilitators to seeking psychological support among healthcare professionals: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Factors Associated with the Usage of Psychological Support Services for Employees in the Romanian Technology Industry.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Health and social care use, costs, and satisfaction among key workers accessing Resilience Hub support during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis That Seeks to Describe and Understand the Personal Experience of Burnout in General Practitioners.Qualitative health research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe mental health of healthcare professionals is reaching a breaking point, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated current mental health issues to unprecedented levels. Whilst some research has been carried out on the barriers that doctors face when seeking mental health help, there is little research into factors which may facilitate seeking help. We aimed to expand the research base on factors which act as barriers to seeking help, as well as gain insight into facilitators of help-seeking behaviour for mental health in NHS doctors.
methodsWe conducted a systematic literature review which identified the barriers and facilitators to seeking help for mental health in healthcare professionals. Following this, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 31 NHS doctors about their experiences with mental health services. Finally, through thematic analysis, key themes were synthesised from the data.
resultsOur systematic literature review uncovered barriers and facilitators from pre-existing literature, of which the barriers were: preventing actions, self-stigma, perceived stigma, costs of seeking treatment, lack of awareness and availability of support, negative career implications, confidentiality concerns and a lack of time to seek help. Only two facilitators were found in the pre-existing literature, a positive work environment and availability of support services. Our qualitative study uncovered additional barriers and facilitators, of which the identified barriers include: a negative workplace culture, lack of openness, expectations of doctors and generational differences. The facilitators include positive views about mental health, external confidential service, better patient outcomes, protected time, greater awareness and accessibility, open culture and supportive supervisors.
conclusionOur study began by identifying barriers and facilitators to seeking mental health help in healthcare workers, through our systematic literature review. We contributed to these findings by identifying themes in qualitative data.. Our findings are crucial to identify factors preventing NHS doctors from seeking help for their mental health so that more can be done on a national, trust-wide and personal level to overcome these barriers. Likewise, further research into facilitators is key to encourage doctors to reach out and seek help for their mental health.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.