Thinking about taking care of ourselves

Abstract

Surgical culture has historically treated mental health as damn  assuming that burnout or  depression, are individual weaknesses that surgeons must silently overcome. This denial is exacerbated by factors such as excessive workload, patient responsibility, the perception of adverse events as personal failures and a training model that pushes residents beyond their capabilities, mistaking this for resilience and "surgical spirit." The consequences are uncertain and severe, with high rates of burnout and social problems. To stop medicalizing or hiding  suffering, we must humanize it through collective initiatives that foster transparent debate and establish specific peer and specialist support programs for all surgical staff, recognizing that mental well-being is a shared responsibility.