As much as healthcare professionals are being mentally and physically tortured during the pandemic, the emotional and psychological stress they experience can sometimes reflect in their behaviour with colleagues, staff and patients too. They, unwittingly, get removed from their teams, and their anger is let out on patients who are not following protocols, or disobedient staff, in ways that does not bring credit to them. But what is interesting here is that any such behaviour shown by them should further make us worry about their mental health status.
“We’ve been working non-stop for 3 months now. I am stressed, I have financial issues at home and on top of it a new colleague, one day, entered the patient's name's spelling wrongly in the chart. Her mistake tipped me over the edge; how could she be so careless? Did she not realise it as a matter of life and death? Is she daft? I was so mad that I told her that it does not surprise me that she could be so silly since the community she belongs to is known for its stupidity. Later, I was called and reprimanded by my supervisor over the discriminatory remark as a complaint had been made against me. It came as a shock to me and my team as well, since I am well-known as a pleasant, tolerant person and given that I have been in this line for more than fifteen years I am looked upon as a guide and senior. What's wrong with me? How could I be losing my reputation," said a nurse, who does not wish to be named.
As COVID is spreading so are the stories about cases wherein the seniors or colleagues are discriminating based on religious beliefs, status in the hospital or the economic background. Juniors and colleagues have reported episodes of mental torture in the form of extended shifts without any breaks by the seniors, manipulation by doctors or unit leaders, angry and unjustified words thrown at them, or ridicule basis colour, caste or creed. Whereas this is unacceptable by the juniors, and rightly so, it makes anyone wonder on why this internal fighting in the teams is happening?
As per experts the main reason behind doctors, nurses or other healthcare workers negative attitude towards their team or even patients is burnout which is causing them to fall prey to psychological violence, a form of emotional abuse, verbal abuse, discriminatory abuse based on religion, caste, gender, financial or material abuse or neglect. These reasons account largely for professionals to be indulging in unintentional psychological violence.
The constant inflow of patients, no time for self, and fatigue is driving these professionals against the wall but their commitment to their work does not let them stop. This is akin to a machine which is going on and on without a break for even repair with the consequence that it starts to breakdown and sometimes smokes out, or sparks fly out of it, or it makes great, grunting noises—all red flags.
But where the machine...in this case, our healthcare workers, cannot stop, they vent out by speaking to a counsellor or trained therapist if they notice a pattern where they are being unjust or rude or discriminatory towards their colleagues or teams.