Gist Healthcare Podcast

Continuing the conversation: Why barriers persist in physician mental health care

KauffmanPodcast
By J Carlisle Larsen
11 min readFeb 9, 2026
Workforce management and culture
Gist Podcast

Physicians face higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide risk than the general population — yet fewer than one in three with a mental health condition ever receives care.

In this episode, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Global Chief Medical Officer for AIDOC, discusses what happens when physicians consider getting help. The conversation looks at how concerns about licensing, confidentiality, and other structural barriers can make seeking care feel risky, and why progress has been uneven.

Author

J Carlisle Larsen

J. Carlisle Larsen

Vice President, Senior Producer

J. Carlisle Larsen, JC, is Vice President, Senior Producer for Kaufman Hall. Her responsibilities include breaking down healthcare business and policy news. Prior to joining Kaufman Hall, JC spent 10 years working in the Midwest WDET-FM (Detroit’s NPR Station) and Wisconsin Public Radio covering a wider range of topics, from social issues to healthcare politics. Her work has appeared on...