Where to Get Help

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Ask for Help: The When, Where, and How for Mental Health Needs

CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists, like all health care professionals, may experience challenges such as stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You are not alone and support is always available.

When to Reach Out

Consider seeking professional support if you notice:

  • Feeling irritable or angry. You have a lack of patience for things that never used to bother you. You feel irritated or even angry a lot more often than usual.
  • Feeling anxious, depressed, lonely, or constantly sad. You feel happy much less frequently. The bad days seem to far outweigh the good days.
  • Reliving traumatic events. You want nothing more than to forget the distressing things you’ve experienced, or the losses and suffering you’ve seen, but those memories keep reappearing, often unexpectedly.
  • Isolating yourself and lack of trust in others. You feel alone, yet you also prefer to be alone. You don’t want to talk or socialize, or maybe you’ve lost interest in activities you used to enjoy. You may question whether anyone cares, including your leadership at work or even people who are close to you.
  • Experiencing compassion fatigue, burnout, or moral injury. You find it difficult to empathize with others. The cost of caring feels like it’s stretched you thin, making it feel like a struggle just to get through each shift.
  • Struggling to sleep or oversleeping. You have trouble sleeping due to shiftwork and a lack of recovery time. Either you never seem to feel rested, or you feel like sleeping far more than usual.
  • New or increased substance use. You, and perhaps others, have noticed an increase in how much you’re drinking or using other substances.
  • You may also be experiencing physical issues that impact you in unexpected ways. This could include:
    • Digestive and/or appetite problems
    • Increased aches and pain
    • Sexual and/or reproductive issues
    • Executive function and memory problems
  • Thoughts of suicide or harming others.

Remember: Asking for help is a sign of strength not weakness.

AANA HelpLine Cards
Visit the AANA Bookstore under "Free Member Resources" to order Helpline cards in packs of 25.

Where to Get Help

AANA Helpline (Confidential & 24/7)

The AANA Helpline (800-654-5167) is available day and night, offering a live, confidential response with support, information, and helpful resources tailored to CRNAs and Residents experiencing drug or alcohol concerns.

  • Visit the AANA Bookstore under “Free Member Resources” to order Helpline cards in packs of 25.

Thoughts of Suicide or Crisis Situations

For a crisis with potential immediate risk for harm to yourself or others,

  • Call 911
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline– Immediate, free 24/7 crisis support via phone (988), text (988), or online chat for anyone experiencing emotional distress or suicidal thoughts.
  • Crisis Text Line– Offers 24/7 crisis counseling support by texting “SCRUBS” or “10-18” to 741741, connecting you with trained crisis counselors.

Teletherapy and Professional Counseling
  • The  The Emotional PPE Project connects you with local therapists. First visit with a therapist is free.
  • See the helpful Nurses’ Guide to Mental Health Support Services. from the Well-Being Initiative to Get Started and to Get the Mental Health Services You Need.
  • View the ANA’s quick videos on assessing your mental health and identifying mental health support.
  • How to Get Therapy When You Can’t Leave the House, NPR 4/2/2020
  • Emotional PPE Project connects healthcare workers with licensed mental health professionals. No cost, no insurance.
  • MDLive: Virtual Teletherapy
  • Free and confidential warmlines by state.
  • NAMI HelpLine – a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals, and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers, and the public. The NAMI HelpLine is available Monday through Friday between 10 am and 10 pm ET at 800-950-6264.
  • The Battle Within – Free therapy services for health workers experiencing crisis, grief, anxiety, stress, or trauma.
  • Therapy Aid Coalition provides pro-bono therapy for frontline health care professionals, including individual and group support.
  • Debriefing the Front Lines offers nurses of all specialties one complimentary debriefing session. Scholarships are also available to cover debriefing services for nurses and other health care professionals who are experiencing a financial hardship.
  • Work and insurance options
    • Workplace Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
    • Health insurance provider teletherapy services and/or no-copay options for coverage?
    • Recommendations from your primary care physician

Peer Support
  • Don’t Clock Out– Free weekly support groups for healthcare professionals using Zoom and with anonymous options.
  • PeerRxMed– Free peer-support program designed specifically for health workers to prevent burnout and provide ongoing encouragement.
  • American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress offers online support groups for emergency responders and health care professionals.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Help

Recent Data on CRNA-related Mental Health Issues

CRNA Issues

Nursing Issues
  • American Nurses Foundation Two Year Impact Assessment: 30% of the 12,694 nurses who completed the survey state they are “not emotionally healthy” or “not at all emotionally healthy.” Nurses under 35 report even more startling findings. March 2022
  • ANA survey from October 2021 which assessed over 9,500 nurses:
    • 75% of nurses across all roles feel “stressed”
    • 68% have had difficulty sleeping
    • 30% rate their emotional health as “not healthy”
  • American Nurses Foundation One Year Impact Assessment: In the 14 days prior to the survey, 51% of nurses reported exhaustion, 23% reported depression. Read the summary from MedPage Today. March 2021
  • International Council of Nurses: 76% of the world’s nurses have reported exhaustion and burnout. January 2021
  • ANA survey: 50% frontline nurses emotionally overwhelmed by COVID-19. 30% depression and >70% sleep challenges. July 2020

Healthcare Professionals Issues
  • The World Health Organization found at least 25% of health and care workers reported anxiety, depression, and burnout symptoms as a result of pandemic. October 2022
  • U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory addressing health worker burnout. May 2022
  • The Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI) lists clinician mental health as a top threat to patient safety. March 2022
  • Healthcare Dive shares more than half of healthcare workers report being burned out, while nearly a quarter are considering quitting their jobs in the near future. February 2022
  • Spok, a global leader in healthcare communications, reports that 96% of clinicians have experienced burnout. Download the free 2021 report “Burnout in healthcare: A report for today’s leaders” here. November 2021
  • The CDC surveyed over 26,000 public health workers and found that the prevalence of PTSD symptoms were 10-20% higher than in previous reports. Approximately one-half experienced symptoms of a mental health condition in the 2 weeks before the survey. July 2021
  • 3,607 US healthcare workers died from COVID-19, as of April 2021. The majority of this number were nurses, at 32%.
  • The Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation polled more than 1,300 frontline healthcare workers where COVID-19 has negatively affected mental health in 62% of participants. Only 13% stated they have received mental health services. April 2021
  • National Academy of Medicine (NAM) President Victor Dzau, MD describes the current and future impact on healthcare workers for the LA Times. March 2021
  • Factors among Chinese healthcare workers: depression for nurses and physicians 50%, anxiety 45%, insomnia 34%, and COVID-19 distress 71%. March 2020

Disclaimer

The resources on this page may incorporate or summarize views, guidelines, or recommendations of third parties. Such material is assembled and presented in good faith, but does not necessarily reflect the views of the AANA. Links to third-party websites are inserted for informational purposes and do not constitute endorsement of the material on those sites, or of any associated organization.