Stress, Anxiety & Depression - Find Out More
Downloadable PDFs
From "In Practice"
Coping with Stress (PDF – 245K)
In Practice Vol 31 Number 8 September 2009
An excellent article from "In Practice" written by David Bartram and Dianne Gardner from a specifically veterinary point of view.
Coping with Suicide (PDF – 870 K)
A reflective and sensitive account of the effect of suicide on a veterinary practice – very important reading if someone in your practice has taken their life.
In Practice June 2000
Managing Employees with Mental Ill-Health
From David Bartram – RVC lecture slides
The Science of Happiness (PDF – 200K)
David is a veterinary surgeon who has specialised in research into veterinary suicide and well-being. These are PowerPoint slides from a talk given at the Royal Veterinary College in 2009
From the New Zealand Veterinary Journal (PDF – 39K)
Stress in the Veterinary Profession: Causes Analysed in New Zealand
GARDNER, D. H. & HINI, D. (2006) Work related stress in the veterinary profession in New Zealand. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 54, 119-124
Confirmation that these problems are not confined to the UK.
From the Mental Health Foundation
Dealing with Depression (PDF – 200K)
Comprehensive booklet dealing with all aspects of depression
Don't get overwhelmed
Plenty of really useful reading here - don't be overwhelmed by the wealth of material available - different approaches and styles will benefit different people - skim some of these links and see which ones attract you.
Websites
From MIND, the UK's leading mental health charity
Understanding postnatal depression
Understanding seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
… all clearly set out, comprehensive and really useful. Plenty of onward links. MIND also have much of this advice in booklet form which you can buy very cheaply from the website.
From the Royal College of Psychiatrists
A useful online leaflet with a printable version.
From the Samaritans
… again succinct and useful with onward links.
Manage time, prioritise, sleep, manage anger, make time for yourself etc – another very brief but useful read.
From TheSite.org – a site aimed at young adults
… although this is written for young adults, I like its style and its informality and I would recommend it to anyone of any age.
From the Mayo Clinic
A useful five-minute read giving some tips on how to keep this balance.
Avoid, Alter, Accept and Adapt – all useful ways of changing the level of your stressors.
… Saying no may be a healthier option – only a couple of pages but this gives you clear guidelines as to the why, when and how of creating enough space to do your job well.
From the Health and Safety Executive
Another link into a wealth of material aimed especially at stress in the workplace.
From the Depression Alliance
The Depression Alliance is a charity run by sufferers themselves – this website provides comprehensive descriptions, advice and links to further help.
From NHS Direct
Careful but fairly restricted – usually defaults to advising you to see your GP (which is not a bad idea but you probably knew that anyway)
From the Scottish Government
Steps for stress – a useful website with a quiz, much advice and the opportunity to order booklets and a relaxation CD. It even has relaxation videos.
From the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD)
Stress and mental health at work
Written from an employer/personnel development point of view – this page links to a number of useful resources. You will need to register to see the content of this page but registration is free and only takes a couple of minutes.
Mental health at work: still the elephant in the room
A commentary written in dialogue with MIND – useful links to current initiatives
From the Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project
Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project home page
This is a website – again from the US – about compassion fatigue generally – not specifically in the veterinary area – however much material about recognition and healing with self tests and suggested reading.
Podcasts & Videos
Suicide in the veterinary profession Dr Raj Persaud – Talk to students at RVC on mental health in the veterinary profession. Worth listening to even if you are not a student.
Suicide and Depression in the Veterinary Profession – It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet: – Podcast of a talk Given by Veterinary Well-Being Researchers – BVA Congress 2009 – Useful veterinary specific podcast from the leading researchers in the field.
Depression – Video from the National Institute for Medical Health in the US – a useful video about depression and possible solutions.
Stress – a Video from the NHS – an expert explains what stresses, the physical and mental effects of being stressed, when it becomes a problem and when to seek help.
Books
Compassion Fatigue in the Animal Care Community Charles Figley and Robert RoopISBN 0-9748400-7-6
U.S.-based book specifically relevant to veterinary practice. Quite a dense book but useful for anyone with responsibility for supporting/managing the veterinary team. A comprehensive account of how Compassion Fatigue happens and how it can be avoided or resolved. Evidence that you are not alone.
Flow: The Psychology of Happiness Mihaly Csikszentmihaly ISBN 9780712657594 (from January 2007)
A study of a phenomenon encountered in many different working circumstances – essentially how to be happy at work!
Threads of Hope: Learning to Live with Depression Ed Flora McDonnell ISBN 1-904095-35-6
A collection of very short pieces by a number of different – often well-known authors all of whom have suffered from depression. The brevity of the contributions and their real value makes this particularly accessible to people who are in deep depression and unable to read for any length of time.
The Joy of Burnout Dina Glouberman ISBN 0-340-82158-2
This is one of the most comprehensive, clear and optimistic books on burnout I have read – excellent contributions by Sue Townsend – a burnout sufferer herself.
Overcoming Depression Paul Gilbert – fully revised third edition – ISBN 978-1-84901-066-5
A revised and updated version of the CBT classic – incorporating a lot of recent research including the importance of compassion. Comprehensive with many CBT-based approaches – but quite a daunting read.
Research papers
From the Veterinary Record
Incidence of suicide in the veterinary profession in England and Wales (PDF – 60 K)
RJ Mellanby Veterinary Record (2005) 157, 415-417.
Gives the scientific stats and points towards further references.
Veterinary Surgeons & Suicide: a Structured Review
DJ Bartram, DS Baldwin
From the University of Oxford Centre for Suicide Research
Suicide in high risk occupational groups – Veterinary Surgeons (HTML)
Belinda Platt – Centre for Suicide Research review.
Very brief account of a review in progress – points towards two further references. This is
From the Journal of Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Suicidal Behaviour and Psychosocial Problems in Veterinary Surgeons: a Systematic Review
Belinda Platt, Keith Hawton, Sue Simkin, Richard J Mellanby Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
DOI 10.1007/s00127-010-0328-6
Very comprehensive and scientific review with an extensive literature.
See also:-
Sickness & Disability Rights & Support
Relationships
Bereavement
Addiction & Eating Disorders
Employment Issues
Vets & Debt
Legal Issues
Complaints & the RCVS