Stress in the life of surgeons

Medical-training institutions must begin to give more than token attention to the near universal stresses that are an integral part of role confusion conflicts in the practice of medicine. Every student should be mentally and emotionally prepared for the negative side of success. There are certainly no guaranteed mentally hygienic methods that will prevent neurotic stress reactions, but heightened awareness as to where the dangers might lie will greatly decrease the incidence of catastrophic reactions. As a final recommendation training institutions must expose their students to behavioral scientists who will win their respect and establish credibility for the healing arts. Based on limited data, 10% of physicians will be in need of a behavioral scientist's counsel by age 45 years.