Behavioral health is a major public health issue in the District of Columbia. Sadly, many of the legislative and regulatory initiatives around behavioral health are tied to other public health concerns, such as opioid addiction, maternal mortality, and health equity.

In partnership with the Washington Psychiatric Society, AMA, and American Psychiatric Association (APA), MSDC works to ensure that patients receive appropriate support for behavioral health issues, that the practice of psychiatry is supported in the District, and that psychiatrists are available to patients in the District.

MSDC was a proud supporter of the Behavioral Health Parity Act of 2017, which enshrined into law that all health plans offered by an insurance carrier meet federal requirements of the Wellstone/Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

MSDC Statements and Testimony of Behavioral Health Issues

25th Council period information coming soon

Studies: Childcare Concerns Driving Burnout in Female Physicians

Nov 17, 2021, 10:30 AM by MSDC Staff

Two new studies confirm that childcare responsibilities during the pandemic have driven burnout among physicians, especially women physicians.

The past two years have been particularly stressful on child caregivers, as everyone recognizes. Throw in a medical career and that stress skyrockets. Now there's new research to back-up this common-sense hypothesis.

Two new studies show that childcare responsibilities for female physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic drive more burnout in their careers. This goes beyond burnout - depression and anxiety are seen at higher levels in female physician caregivers.

The first study comes from the JAMA Open Network. Titled, "Experiences of Work-Family Conflict and Mental Health Symptoms by Gender Among Physician Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic," physicians from the University of Michigan used a three-question survey to examine how the pandemic impacted their childcare. Participants also completed a Work and Family Conflict Scale and PHQ-9. Among those surveyed, women were significantly more likely to lose childcare during the pandemic compared to men (84% versus 66%). The gulf in responsibility for childcare responsibilities was greater if both parents were physicians. See the entire study here.

The second study is from the Journal of General Internal Medicine. This survey involved over 3,000 clinicians surveyed between June 2020 and August 2020. The overwhelming majority of respondents (88%) were physicians. Again, women physicians were more likely to report feeling burned out (39%) and decreased wellbeing (51%) than men (28% and 43%). Among respondents with children, 95% reported burnout and not surprisingly, women were more likely than men to report childcare responsibilities. See the study here.

Sample of Legislation MSDC is Tracking in Behavioral Health

(see the whole list of bills here)

Suicide Prevention Continuing Education Amendment Act of 2019 (B23-543)

What does it do? The bill requires licensed health providers to complete 2 hours of CME on suicide prevention, assessment, and screening.

MSDC position: MSDC opposes the bill as written as the language does not encourage physician wellbeing or sufficient awareness of suicide prevention.

Current status: The bill had a hearing with the Committee on Health on June 10.