Gist Healthcare Podcast

Why barriers persist in physician mental health care

KauffmanPodcast
By J Carlisle Larsen
10 min readFeb 2, 2026
Workforce management and culture
Gist Podcast

Physicians face higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide risk than the general population, yet most never seek mental health care.

In this episode, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Global Chief Medical Officer for AIDOC, discusses new JAMA research examining why. The conversation looks at how medical culture, stigma, time constraints and concerns about confidentiality or professional consequences can keep physicians from getting help, even when effective treatment exists.

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...