The Mental Health Toll of Bullying Among Adults

The recent news of the death of a house officer has renewed allegations of bullying within the healthcare fraternity, leading to calls by doctors, medical organisations and politicians for the Ministry of Health to ensure that junior doctors aren’t working in a toxic environment. Since then, Minister of Health Khairy Jamaluddin has announced that an independent task force will be set up to look into allegations of a prevalent bullying culture. But for those who have been bullied, especially at work, what toll does that take on your mental health? And what does it tell us, when people working in medicine, who are meant to save lives and act with compassion, are being accused of bullying their peers? Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Joel Low weighs in.

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