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Background. Mental ill health is common among doctors. Fast, efficient diagnosis and treatment are needed as mentally ill doctors pose a safety risk to the public, yet they are often reluctant to seek help.

Aims. To review literature regarding risk factors and potential barriers to help-seeking unique to doctors; to consider the success of interventions by specialist services for doctors.

Method: Key phrases regarding the ‘mental health of doctors’ were entered into internet searches and journal databases to identify relevant research. When key authors were identified, author-specific searches were carried out.

Findings. There are contradictory reports about the prevalence of mental ill health in doctors but it is generally agreed that doctors face a large number of risk factors, both occupational and individual; and help-seeking is difficult due to complexities surrounding a doctor becoming a patient. Specialist services …