Studies document that doctors have more mental distress, as depression and suicidal ideation, than comparable groups, and are reluctant to seek professional help. Prevention is therefore important, but there is little documentation of long-term effects from actual intervention programs. This study investigates whether a self-referral, councelling program reaches doctors in need of help, and whether changes in help-seeking and in levels of distress can be found at one-year follow-up.

Of doctors coming to the councelling centre Villa Sana, 227 (94%) of 242, consented to participate in a prospective study. 184 doctors (81% of 227) responded at one-year follow-up. Self-reporting questionnaires covering mental distress, job distress and burn-out were used. Results are compared with those from a national survey of Norwegian doctors.

Relatively more women and GPs were represented in the Villa Sana sample than among Norwegian doctors. The Villa Sana-doctors had significantly higher levels of distress as measured by Symptom Check List 5, the dimension of emotional exhaustion on Maslach's Burnout Index, job-stress on Cooper's Job Stress Questionnaire and having had serious suicidal thoughts with plans (Paykel) compared with Norwegian doctors. At one-year follow-up, the Sana doctors had significantly lower levels on the distress parameters than at base-line. Significantly more doctors had sought psycho-therapy after the councelling intervention than at base-line.

This program reaches doctors with high levels of distress, and at one-year follow-up they showed lower levels of distress and a higher proportion who had sought psycho-therapy than at base-line.