Caretaker burnout is a prevalent issue affecting millions of caregivers worldwide. It occurs when caregivers become overwhelmed, exhausted, and emotionally drained from their duties. This can have a severe impact on their physical and mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, and even chronic illness. As health care providers, we are responsible for identifying and supporting caregivers experiencing burnout. Dr. Rhonda Mattox, a board-certified psychiatrist and president of the Arkansas Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association, recently went on AFMC TV to discuss the importance of self-care and how telehealth has changed psychiatry for the better. Dr. Mattox says caretakers usually put patients’ concerns first, often leaving their own needs on the back burner.
“The stress and mental burden that caretakers experience often comes from helping others at the expense of yourself. If you do this for long enough without building time into your day to rest, it can really affect your mental state,” Dr. Mattox says. She compared caretakers to stay-at-home mothers. “If you have a fine balance as a mom navigating multiple things at one time and then an in-law gets sick, or someone gets sick at work, and you have to take over, suddenly, your delicate balance turns into upheaval,” Dr. Mattox says. The pandemic made things even more hectic for everyone, especially caretakers.
Many times, caregivers feel like they have to do everything themselves, which can lead to higher levels of stress. Because the health care profession is so patient-centered, caretakers are more likely to experience anxiety and depression as well as chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes. That’s why it's crucial to ensure caregivers are taking care of their physical health as well. Other health care professionals can provide them with information on healthy eating habits, exercise, and stress reduction techniques.
To help relieve their stress and recharge, caregivers can also utilize local resources such as respite care, support groups, and counseling services to help alleviate their burden. It's essential to remember that it's okay to ask for help. By providing them with education, resources, and support, we can help reduce the risk of burnout and improve the quality of life for both the caregiver and the patient.
Telehealth's Benefits for Mental Health
Dr. Mattox says that telehealth as a means of improving outcomes in patients with depression is not a new concept. “I got involved in telehealth research and the outcomes it had on depression around 2005. We have publications from 2011 or 2012 about the safety of telehealth for patients in rural areas who suffer from depression,” she says. During the pandemic, the widespread use of telehealth increased as insurance companies began to prioritize reimbursement for telehealth services at more equivalent rates. “People have begun prioritizing the technology, bandwidth, and broadband resources needed to allow more access to telehealth services,” Dr. Mattox says.
One of the perks that came from telehealth has been the access it provides to health care experts in related fields, particularly in more remote areas. “With telehealth, you can call a specialist from a very remote part of Arkansas, like Pocahontas, Walnut Ridge, or Clarendon, and they can hop on a call with you and help you find a solution for that patient, and you’re reimbursed for that telehealth consultation,” she says. “I’m thrilled by the possibilities telehealth has provided us. There was a time when you’d have to send whoever would willingly go to rural areas to care for patients,” she adds. “Sometimes, the people who were willing to go were not the best-qualified professionals for the patients there. They would run into communication or cultural barriers that kept them from giving patients the best care they needed,” she says.
Now, telehealth has opened up new access for doctors and health care professionals who have the right qualifications and expertise to care for patients in rural communities. “I would consider this a win for rural Arkansans following the pandemic,” Dr. Mattox says.
2023 ACEs & Resilience Summit
Dr. Mattox will be speaking at AFMC’s seventh annual ACEs & Resilience Summit on August 3 at Pulaski Technical College. Her presentation, Burying Something to Prove at the Corner of Lay Your Burdens Down, will focus on self-care and learning to recognize the “black sheep” who doesn’t belong. “We’re going to keep in mind this year’s summit theme, the power of belonging, and think about lessons you learned when you felt like you didn’t belong,” Dr. Mattox says. “We will explore how rejection and an attitude of always having something to prove influence your choices.” Her session will also focus on learning to embrace the feeling of being an “other” and discovering the valuable lessons that can come from not being like everyone else.
“As the only black person in my class at Grace Christian Academy, I was the outcast,” Dr. Mattox says. “However, there were lessons that I learned and things that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was the popular kid. In the end, it all worked out for me.” Dr. Mattox says that because she was rejected and overlooked throughout her lifetime, she has learned to be sensitive and in tune with others who are the “black sheep,” which has helped her improve her work as a psychiatrist.
Dr. Mattox will share more about her experiences and the importance of self-care at the ACEs Summit. We encourage you to join us on Thursday, August 3, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to explore the Power of Belonging and the impact of positive childhood experiences. You can register for this year’s summit and join other noble organizations and become a sponsor. If you know someone who is working hard to prevent ACEs in our community, you can submit an award nomination for our Phoenix and Rise Awards, which will be announced during the Summit.
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Rhonda Mattox, M.D., is the president of the Arkansas Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association (AMDPA). She is the first psychiatrist to lead this interdisciplinary organization of health professionals in its 130-year history. Her work is positioned at the intersection of medicine, media, and policy as she promotes increased access to comprehensive mental health and targets stigma among those living with psychiatric conditions. Currently, she serves as an integrative behavioral health psychiatrist and consultant to state and federal agencies. Prior to that, Dr. Mattox was an Associate Professor with dual appointments in the Family Medicine and Psychiatry Departments at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she conducted research and taught behavioral health to family medicine residents.
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