Self Assessment for
Medical Malpractice Stress
Syndrome
ã 2005 Louise B. Andrew MD
JD
mail@mdmentor.com
I am involved as a
defendant in litigation and I am experiencing or feeling
q
Anger or irritability which is affecting my
satisfaction with life
q
Sense of reduction or loss of control
in aspects of my work or life
q
Singled out, isolation or tendency towards
distancing from my peers
q
Over- or under-activity relative to my usual
pattern
q
Anxiety or depressive
symptoms
q
Changes in appetite or eating
habits
q
Insomnia or poor quality
sleep
q
Changes in libido (particularly
reduction)
q
Emotional distancing from patients or office
staff
q
Tendency towards withdrawal from family,
friends, group activities
q
Concerns about my competence or ability to
make decisions
q
Hesitation to take on difficult problems or
demanding patients
q
Compulsion to order more testing of
patients
q
Less willingness to take on administrative
decisions or activities
q
Thoughts about changing careers or limiting
practice
q
Physical symptoms which are different or
worse from normal
q
Fatigue, or reduced energy levels
q
Loss of enjoyment in
practice
q
Loss of interest in
recreation
q
Drawn towards mindless pursuits, e.g.
television, internet
q
Frustration that no end is in
sight
q
Stymied by the system from dealing directly
with the problem
q
Questions about value of persisting in
medicine
q
Intrusive thoughts or
compulsions
q
Alone in efforts to vindicate myself from an
unfair accusation
q
Helpless or hopeless to change the course of
events
q
Impulse to do something drastic or
dangerous
q
Thoughts about benefit of ending it
all
Although it
is normal to feel some of these things in the face of a malpractice
claim, if you are experiencing as many as 5 of them, then the stress
of litigation may be starting to impact your professional as well as
your personal life. It
is highly advisable to discuss your feelings about what is happening
to you with a trusted friend, and/or an experienced professional,
who may recommend supportive intervention. This is
one of the most stressful events in the life of any physician.
If you have felt any one of the last three
items, you must seek professional help
immediately.
You will survive this limited episode in your life, and will
be a stronger and better person for the
experience.
To download a copy of this
survey for yourself or to give another, click here for
PDF. Click here for
MS Word.
A quick
article on the Malpractice Stress Syndrome is available here
