Life BalanceSTAYING WELL

Staying Well

2 LSU Perio Grads from the 1980’s are deceased.

Cause of Death: Suicide

Staying Well

How Does this Happen???

Both Drs were very successful and created great

practices.

Both Drs were well liked by peers.

One even became the President of the State Board of

Dentistry in another state.

I knew them both, but did not KNOW them.

Staying Well

Who goes into Perio?

High achievers

Perfectionists

Workaholics

Staying Well

Ask most health professionals if dentists have higher rates of depression and suicide, and the answer usually comes back "yes." Is it true? The perception may have originated in the 1960s when an Oregon study found that the state's dentists had the highest suicide rate of any professional group. A few other statewide studies followed and also found high rates of suicides among dentists. A 1996 analysis found that being a dentist increases the risk of suicide by 564% after ruling out effects of age, race, gender, or marital status.

Staying Well

However, other studies have reached completely

different conclusions and found that dental suicide rates

did not differ from the general working population. A

recent British study of occupational suicides published in

the June, 2013 issue of Psychological Medicine found that,

in the early 1980s, dentists were 6th among all

occupations in suicides.

Better news but still troubling………

Staying Well

The effects chronic stress from excessive perfectionism, inefficient patient management, and poor office ergonomics can lead to "professional burnout syndrome," symptoms of somatic complaints, interpersonal problems, insomnia, irritability, and suicidal ideation. A 2005 study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association claimed that 10% of the 560 dentists surveyed suffered from dysthymia (depressed-still functioning) but only 15% of those were followed by a physician for the condition and receiving any kind of treatment.

Staying Well

Chronic pain triples the risk of depression

58% of dentists reported chronic lumbar pain

52% of dentists reported chronic cervical pain

1 in 3 dentists file for disability for this at various points in

their careers

(2007ADA Survey)

Staying Well

Anxiety > Stress / Pain > Depression

Recognize the Symptoms

Take Action and Break the Cycle

Staying Well

Practice with Good Posture !!

Staying Well

Practice with Good Posture

Eat Right ( associated with lower incidences of depression)

Mediterranean Diet

Chocolate and Coffee

Staying Well

Regular exercise

Meditation

Positive, Healthy Attitude

Staying Well

Avoidance of Controlled Substances

Avoidance of Excessive Alcohol Use

Staying Well

Toughen Your Skin !

_ _ IT HAPPENS in PRIVATE PRACTICE !!

Treatment Failures

Last Minute Cancellations

Staff Issues (like quitting with no notice)

Disgruntled Patients

Disgruntled GP’s and Lost Referrals

Equipment Failures (Sometimes During a Procedure)

Staying Well

Toughen Your Skin !

Those items are all stressful right???

How do you view stress???

Can you view stress as a positive thing to help you meet

challenges? OR

Do you think stress is harmful and will eventually destroy your

health?

Your outlook on stress will determine if it helps or hurts you

Staying Well

Toughen Your Skin !

Life Balance

The Pankey Institute

Life Balance

Your Profession The Pankey Cross

Family Life

Spirituality

Recreation

Life Balance

It is easy to get “unbalanced”

Most residents- way “unbalanced” and this is normal

for this phase of life.

After residency you must work on maintaining

perspective and work toward balance.

Life Balance

Most Dr’s become very heavily weighted in the

profession. Why??

High achievers

Perfectionist tendencies

Dedication

Life Balance

Prevention of an unbalanced life

Time management

Prioritization

Delegation

Life Balance

The Bottom Line

Take care of yourself

LISTEN to your body

Do not ignore warning signs

Develop that tough skin and self image

Try to live a balanced life

Don’t Worry…Be Happy

Life Balance

Life Balance