Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Using Learning Outcome Measures to assess Doctoral Nursing Education
Published on: June 21, 2010
Distressed doctors: a narrative and historical study of work-related mental discomfort among practising physicians
1Lund University, Medical Faculty, History of Medicine, Lund, Sweden jonatan.wistrand@med.lu.se.
Abstract:
This article explores the complexity of mental distress among physicians, as portrayed in two literary narratives: John Berger and Jean Mohr's A Fortunate Man: The Story of a Country Doctor (1967) and Pia Dellson's Väggen: En utbränd psykiaters noteringar (2015, 'The Wall: Notes by a Burnt-Out Psychiatrist'). Departing from a historical understanding of medical practice, the article seeks to discuss whether some of the noted similarities and differences in the two narratives could be related to changes appearing over time in the role model of the medical encounter. As the two narratives provide illustrative descriptions of the difficulties experienced by doctors suffering from mental discomfort, they also call for a greater awareness among medical practitioners of the sociological terms of doctoring. Practising a person-centred, rather than patient-centred, care might be part of such awareness and is discussed as a possible protective strategy for physicians at risk of work-related mental distress.
Related Concept Videos
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
Cognitive Dissonance
Regression Toward the Mean

