BDJ In Practice publishes mental health themed issue

British Dental Journal volume 232, page 845 (2022)Cite this article

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The June issue of BDJ In Practice is focused on mental health. Kate Quinlan caught up with Editor David Westgarth to find out more.

KQ: Why did you decide to do a mental health themed issue?

DW: If you look back at the last two years, dental professionals have been under immense stress and strain. So many different facets of life have been thrust under the microscope, and mental health and wellbeing are two of them. It's ironic because the last press conference that I attended pre-COVID was the mental health in dentistry round table event, co-chaired by Roz McMullan, who is guest editor for this themed issue. For obvious reasons this topic was kicked to the kerb, right at the time it needed to be front and centre in our minds.

When did you recruit Roz as editor and how did you work together to decide on the content line-up?

I first approached Roz back in January. We discussed ideas and timetables and how we could possibly pull the content together. I was mindful that there were stress and mental health awareness months early in the year, but I didn't want the issue to land during those months and be forgotten. For me, campaigns and awareness months probably get put back in their boxes when they finish, and this can't happen with mental health in the profession. With that in mind, we looked at some of the most discussed topics around mental health and wellbeing, acutely aware of having a positive 'watermark' throughout. Roz has done so much work throughout the years for the BDA (and others) on mental health and wellbeing, so once we got going, things moved pretty quickly from there.

Any particular content highlights?

Both Roz and I were delighted with the considered, thought-provoking content we received. There's a lovely balance between reality and positivity. I thought David Rahman's look at imposter syndrome in the profession was brilliant. We hear it from students quite a bit, but the pandemic means more students graduated with the feeling of being unprepared. Dentistry is about confidence in your ability, and David's piece looked at what imposter syndrome is, how to identify it, and ways and means of putting it behind you.

I also thought Shaz Memon's piece about doomscrolling was fascinating. The news cycle feels like it's been non-stop rubbish for years, and there's a temptation to spend hours scrolling through the horrors of the war in Ukraine, COVID-19 figures, the cost of living - to name but a few! There's also a temptation to use social media to compare your progress to others, and Shaz's piece really made me think.

If just one person reading the issue can identify with any of the topics discussed and seek help when they previously have not done so, I will consider it worthwhile.