Physicians mutual aid group: a response to AIDS-related burnout

Physicians providing primary health care to people with AIDS are exposed to the same stressful experiences as other AIDS caregivers. Although mutual aid groups have proved useful in relieving stress for AIDS caregivers in general, physicians as a professional group present particular problems that impede their access to mutual aid. This article describes the origins and functioning of a physician's mutual aid group facilitated by the author. It offers suggestions related to overcoming resistance physicians might have to participating in such a group and reviews modalities that were found helpful in facilitating participants' ability to share emotional stresses within the group. The commitment of the physicians to the group over a prolonged period and their own testimony indicate that with appropriate facilitation, physicians under stress from providing care to people with AIDS can benefit from the experience of mutual aid that has been so beneficial to other caregivers.