Residency demands resilience, but young doctors also need connection, support, and systemic change.
The Hidden Mental Health Crisis Facing Medical Residents
Dr. Nakita Mortimer’s story is devastating. A talented anesthesiology resident at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, she was a strong advocate for change, fighting for better working conditions through union organizing. She was also a friend, a leader, and someone known for her light and compassion.
In 2023, she died by suicide.
Her passing brought urgent attention to the mental health challenges many young doctors face, especially during their years in residency. According to a 2024 survey by the Physicians Foundation:
- Nearly 25% of medical residents have considered self-harm
- 20% know a peer who has considered suicide in the past year
These numbers reveal a larger issue – residency isn’t just exhausting. For many, it’s emotionally isolating and mentally unsafe.
Why Residency Can Be So Damaging
Long hours, limited sleep, and emotional strain
The medical system expects residents to work 80-hour weeks and endure 24 to 28-hour shifts with little rest or downtime. For doctors in training, the pressure to perform perfectly in life-or-death situations can quickly become overwhelming.
Silence around mental health for medical residents
Despite growing awareness, the stigma around mental health in medicine persists. Many residents avoid seeking therapy or reporting symptoms out of fear it will impact their careers or licensing. That silence can have devastating consequences.
Loneliness in the Hospital
When surrounded doesn’t mean supported
Residency can be socially isolating. Schedules are unpredictable. Sleep is irregular. Family and friendships take a back seat. While hospitals are filled with people, many residents feel they have no one they can confide in.
This lack of social connection increases the risk of burnout, depression, and suicidal thoughts, especially when paired with crushing workloads and emotional trauma.
What Needs to Change
- Hospitals must make mental health care accessible and stigma-free
- Supervisors need training to identify burnout and provide support
- Residents should have structured time to rest, connect, and decompress
Efforts like the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation have helped push medical boards to revise outdated policies that penalized doctors for mental health histories. These are critical steps, but more must be done to change culture, not just policy.
How Krew Social Supports Connection in High-Stress Professions
At Krew Social, we are building technology to help people stay meaningfully connected, even during the most demanding seasons of life. For hospitals and healthcare systems, that means:
- Enabling private social groups for peer support
- Creating digital spaces for conversation outside of clinical responsibilities
- Reducing the emotional isolation that comes with long shifts and high-stress roles
We believe real-world connection is just as important to workplace wellbeing as compensation or benefits. For medical residents, that connection might be the difference between surviving the system and being swallowed by it.
Final Thoughts
No one should have to suffer in silence. Dr. Nakita Mortimer’s death was a tragedy, but it also shines a spotlight on the urgent need to prioritize mental health for medical residents.
The healthcare industry cannot afford to lose more bright, compassionate individuals to burnout and isolation.
If you lead a hospital or residency program and want to better support your team, reach out to learn how Krew Social can help.
