Behind the White Coat: Addressing Stigma and Suicide Prevention Among Healthcare Providers

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month reminds us of the importance of mental health. For those in the business of saving lives, this includes confronting one of the profession’s most painful truths: physicians and mental health providers are experiencing a crisis of their own, and it’s too often hidden behind a wall of stigma.

Observed on September 17, National Physician Suicide Awareness Day reminds us that those who provide care are not immune to mental health struggles. In fact, they're among the most at-risk. It’s time to address the unspoken realities within the healthcare industry.

Stigma Is Still a Silent Killer in Healthcare

In their commitment to serve, many healthcare professionals become emotional sponges—absorbing patients’ pain, trauma, and grief. But even the most resilient reach a breaking point. Without space to release that weight, the burden grows heavier, and the culture around mental health in healthcare remains fraught with fear and misunderstanding.

Physicians die by suicide at more than twice the rate of the general population. In Medscape’s 2023 report, 53% of physicians reported burnout, and 23% reported clinical depression, and yet, many don’t seek help. Despite their training, healthcare professionals often face a culture where asking for support is perceived as a weakness, putting their licenses, reputations, and careers at risk.

This crisis doesn’t stop with MDs. Therapists, nurses, first responders, and social workers all face high levels of emotional exhaustion and compassion fatigue. Still, many professionals suffer in silence, constrained by a system that often fails to prioritize their needs.

Mental Health Risk Factors in Clinical Professions

Even in healthcare, stigma silences those struggling. Combined with systemic and emotional stressors, it creates barriers to seeking help. 

These factors reveal just how deeply stigma is embedded—and how urgently the healthcare culture must change to support them.

Creating a Culture of Support in Clinical Workplaces

How can organizations make mental health a priority? While culture change takes time, small, intentional steps help create safe spaces for providers to seek help without fear of judgment.

1. Talk About It—From the Top Down 
Leaders in clinics, hospitals, and practices should model openness and vulnerability. When those in authority normalize conversations about stress, anxiety, and depression, it signals that mental health is a shared responsibility.

2. Offer Confidential, Non-Punitive Access to Help 
Make sure employees have access to mental health support outside of internal systems if needed, and clearly communicate that doing so won't harm their standing or licensure.

3. Build Peer Support Programs 
Encourage physicians and mental health providers to form non-clinical peer groups or mentorship circles to share stress, trauma, and coping strategies safely.

4. Create Policies That Prioritize Recovery 
Mental health leave, no-questions-asked mental health days, and workload flexibility must be embedded in your organizational culture—not offered only in times of visible breakdown.

5. Introduce Everyday Tools to Support Regulation 
Wearable devices like TouchPoints® offer a discreet, nonverbal way to support stress management throughout the day. For therapists and physicians who may not feel ready to speak up, this small intervention can be the first step toward long-term support.

TouchPoints in Therapy—For Clients and Clinicians

Therapists use TouchPoints in sessions to help clients stay grounded, especially during trauma work like EMDR, by reducing stress and aiding regulation.

Many providers recommend TouchPoints for use between sessions to reinforce self-regulation and build resilience throughout daily life. While client care is the focus, clinicians themselves use TouchPoints as a discreet and effective way to manage their own stress throughout the day.

The Six Dimensions of Health Matter for Providers, Too

TouchPoint’s philosophy embraces a holistic model where true well-being covers mental, emotional, and relational aspects—essential for healthcare professionals. 

Supporting healthcare professionals across these dimensions directly weakens stigma, helps prevent burnout, supports retention, and, most importantly, saves lives.

Let’s Build a Culture That Cares for Its Caregivers

In honor of National Physician Suicide Awareness Day and Suicide Prevention Month, take time to reflect on how your organization supports emotional well-being.

Book a consultation today to learn how TouchPoints can enhance your team's well-being and address the mental health needs of your staff—especially during high-stress periods like Suicide Prevention Month.

Prefer immediate support? Shop TouchPoints Now and equip your staff with wearable relief—because every heartbeat matters.