VICDOC Summer 2023 - Magazine - Page 60
AWA R D W I N N I N G D R G EO F F TO OG O O D
HOW DOES HE FEEL ABOUT WINNING THE AWARD?
—
“It’s humbling. It's huge; it's just amazing.
It's rewarding for me personally, as it’s for
something that I’ve created and pushed for
in my own time – it’s not been part of my
paid employment, but a real passion project.
But it’s also rewarding for me in terms of
what I’m trying to achieve – destigmatising
mental illness for doctors. We are regular
people who experience regular health
issues, just like the rest of the population.
There’s no shame in that.”
We know that over two in five Australians
(42.9%) experience a mental health condition
at some point in life. Almost a third will
experience an anxiety condition, and one in
seven will experience depression. Historically,
doctors have felt pressured to hide their illness,
and often suffer alone. Sobering statistics
indicate that female doctors suicide at 2.27
times the rate of the general population,
and male doctors at 1.41 times the rate.
Geoff says that awareness and acceptance
of mental health is an important issue for the
medical profession to continue to embrace.
We know that over two in f ive Australians
(42.9%) experience a mental health condition
at some point in life. Almost a third will
experience an anxiety condition, and one in
seven will experience depression. Historically,
doctors have felt pressured to hide their illness,
and often suffer alone. Sobering statistics
indicate that female doctors suicide at
2.27 times the rate of the general population,
and male doctors at 1.41 times the rate.
—
60
AMA VI C TO RIA
