Depression, Anxiety and Stress Management

General practitioners are a high achieving section of the population with perfectionist tendencies. Under the strain of increased work pressure, some experience professional burnout. Identifying contributory factors common to GPs who have suffered burnout may help to predict and intervene with those at risk of burnout. Five UK family doctors who have suffered burnout personally were interviewed to explore the context of their burnout experience. The interviews were analyzed qualitatively to identify common themes. Personality traits, risk tolerance threshold and situational pressure appear as prominent commonalities for these GPs as potential causes for burnout. Awareness of these characteristics may help to identify those GPs prone to burnout. Further research is required to clarify what interventions are of proven benefit t in such cases.