The People’s Clinic in Clarksville serves as a beacon for individuals seeking help, with signs on the walls signaling that support is available. But for two men working at the clinic, help came too late.
Leah Daniels, a long-time nurse practitioner at the clinic, emphasized that their mission is to monitor for signs of distress, particularly potential suicides. Yet, Daniels and her colleagues were unaware that two of their own, physician’s assistant Michael Patterson and Dr. Gary Cole, were silently battling their own crises. Patterson tragically died by suicide in 2022, followed by Cole a year later.
“He devoted his entire life to taking care of others,” reflected Dr. Michael West, Cole’s former partner. “None of us saw the signs until it was too late.”
According to Dr. Michelle Cochran, president of the Tennessee Psychiatric Association, many Tennesseans may not realize how frequently such tragedies occur. “If they knew the frequency, there would be a public outcry,” she said.
The data confirms her concerns. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reports that male physicians in the U.S. have a suicide rate 1.4 times higher than the general population, while female physicians face a rate 2.27 times higher. Annually, 300 to 400 physicians die by suicide—equating to nearly one per day.
“It’s really scary,” said Cochran.
The stigma surrounding mental health, particularly in the medical field, is often cited as a major factor. Dr. Michael West noted that seeking help could result in being labeled an “impaired physician,” which could jeopardize a doctor’s license or career prospects. Additionally, resources specifically designed to support physicians in crisis are severely limited. Daniels recounted her frustration in attempting to contact the Physician Support Line, only to reach no one during business hours. “What do you do? Where do you go?” she asked.
In response to this growing concern, the Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) is pushing for policy changes and the expansion of mental health resources for healthcare professionals. A new law enacted in January 2025 aims to provide some relief by protecting physicians’ psychotherapy records from medical board access, but only if the physician is diagnosed with “burnout.” The law does not extend protections for other mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
TMA’s Cochran also advocates for eliminating questions about a provider’s mental health on hospital credentialing applications, a process she believes contributes to physician burnout and recruitment difficulties. “We already have a hard enough time recruiting in our state. To have a questionnaire like this that actually makes it harder, it just doesn’t make any sense,” she said.
While these legislative changes represent steps forward, experts stress that vigilance in recognizing signs of distress in colleagues remains critical. Isolation, changes in eating or sleeping habits, or even physical clues—such as a sign that once hung in Cole’s office, reading, “Please help me not to be so busy making a living, I forget to make a life”—may signal the need for intervention.
“It’s very hard to realize that somebody that devoted so much to other people was going through so much,” said Dr. West.
Related topic:
IIMA Healthcare Summit 2025: Shaping India’s Healthcare Future
HealthLynked Launches ARi: AI-Powered Healthcare Assistant
Autistic TGD Individuals Face Worse Healthcare, Study Reveals