Medscape Neurologist Mental Health, Well-Being Report 2026

Image:1_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngA Medscape survey found that personal happiness, a well-balanced life, and time with family and friends are not optional for neurologists' health and well-being. Yet many neurologists struggle to maintain these. A meal eaten sitting down, a weekend strictly for relaxing family time, friendships that don't expire from neglect — the challenge isn't that neurologists don't know what a healthy life looks like. They prescribe it for their patients all the time. The challenge is that the system they work within makes the quest for balance harder to find and maintain.In this report, gender is based on how physicians self-identified in our survey.Some totals in this presentation do not equal 100% because of rounding.Image:2_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngAcross every category of their personal lives –– happiness, work-life balance, family relationships, and friendships –– at least roughly 4 in 10 neurologists reported no change from 3 years ago. At first glance, that seems neutral. However, for a profession where burnout is at crisis levels, stagnation isn't stability.The friendship data may be most telling. Eighty-two percent of neurologists said their friendships have stayed the same or worsened, ranking last in improvement across all four categories. Friendships among doctors overall fared similarly (84% stayed the same or worsened). Such relationships are typically the first casualty of a demanding career and the hardest to rebuild.Image:3_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngFemale neurologists were somewhat less likely than their male counterparts to say their happiness worsened over the prior 3 years (27% vs 33%). That was similar to the gap in our last report (28% vs 37%). Also this year, about equal shares of female and male neurologists were status quo when it came to their happiness.However, we know that female physicians experience higher rates of burnout and lower job satisfaction than their male counterparts. They're also paid less, work more, take on more childcare and home duties, and are less likely to be promoted than male doctors."Creating equality for women physicians will require support from organizations in several areas, including flexibility with schedules, fair opportunities for career advancement, mentoring, and creating an environment at work where there is no stigma associated with seeking help related to mental health," says Shannon Franklin, PsyD, co-founder and director of clinical training at Element Q Healing Center in San Diego.Image:4_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngNearly 7 in 10 doctors overall in our survey said they treated their own health and wellness as "a top priority" or "important." Meanwhile, about 2 in 10 neurologists admitted to not giving their health enough attention. For a profession that counsels patients on sleep, stress, diet, and exercise, a knowledge deficit isn't the problem."It can be difficult at first because everyone is tired at the end of the day after a long day of work, but I find if you dig deep and make healthy lifestyle choices a habit, it becomes more automatic," says Cooper Stone, DO, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia."It's important to be intentional about what we do with our limited time; there are only so many hours in a day to do things. Therefore, I am constantly prioritizing what I value and find important in my life and discarding the things I can do without. Life is short!"Image:5_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngThe previous slide asked neurologists if they prioritized their own health and wellness; this slide focuses on whether they thought being happy and well-balanced was attainable. While one quarter of neurologists said their health was a top priority, three quarters thought happiness and balance were achievable goals.Image:6_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngCritical care, infectious diseases, and emergency medicine ranked lowest in our previous year's report. However, what's more telling is the 31-point gap between the happiest specialty (dermatology, 91%) and the least happy (general surgery, 60%). In a profession with shared training, licensing standards, and oath, the data signify something deeper than individual personality differences. They reflect how a physician's choice of specialty can shape their personal life."Specialty certainly factors into physicians' health but is not the only determinant of it. Plastic surgery gives me the opportunity to establish lasting relationships with my patients, follow their healing and care, and watch meaningful improvement in quality of life over time. Every specialty comes with its own pressures and responsibilities," says Daniel Careaga, MD, a double board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Careaga Plastic Surgery in Coral Gables, Florida.Image:7_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngImage:8_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngOn a net basis, the rate of burnout among neurologists was lower than in last year's report (40% vs 61%). However, among physicians overall in this year's report, female doctors reported significantly more burnout than their male counterparts (53% vs 39%).Closing the burnout gap between male and female physicians may require identifying the most effective initiatives to address it. One paper found that gender-specific initiatives, such as improving family leave policies and addressing the gender bias and sexual harassment faced by women in medicine, may help."This is something I feel deeply. Female doctors don't burn out more because they're less strong. They burn out more because they have to handle more: more emotional work with patients, more paperwork that often falls on them, more guilt about the sacrifices their careers require, and more responsibilities at home," says Jessica Meers, PhD, founder of Rhythm Wellness, a Houston-based psychotherapy practice specializing in sleep medicine."We're not burning out because medicine is hard. We're burning out because we're doing medicine and everything else, and acting like that's possible long-term."We need fair sharing of nonclinical work, real flexibility that doesn't punish women for using it, and honest conversations in medicine about what female doctors are being asked to take on. The burnout gap won't close until the system changes."Image:9_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngThirty-one percent of neurologists reported having no religious or spiritual belief, much like the 30% who identified that way 3 years prior.Meanwhile, a Gallup poll found that the share of American religious "nones" — those who don't identify with a specific denomination but may yet have spiritual beliefs outside of mainstream religion — reached a new high of 24% in 2025, following 4 years in the 21%-22% range.Image:10_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngThe share of neurologists who agreed to a hypothetical trade-off of more family and personal time in exchange for a pay cut was smaller than the 67% in last year's report.Bradley Serwer, MD, an interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution Cardiology, offering cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, says he'd absolutely take a pay cut for better work-life balance."I made the conscious decision to work in a rotation. I could elect to work additional shifts, but I'm afraid of burnout, and the physical toll it would have on my body would not be sustainable in the long run."Image:11_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngA prior slide showed that personal wellness is a priority for most neurologists. But 53% said that consistent, sufficient sleep eludes them. One family doctor in our survey bemoaned, "I rarely have the opportunity to sleep more than 3 hours uninterrupted or 6 hours total."That is not to say that doctors dismiss the importance of sleep. "I am often so tired that it is hard to do anything for my wellness other than sleep," said another family physician.So how do some cope? Twelve percent of neurologists in our survey said they used over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids. A study from the CDC found that American adults regularly take some kind of sleep aid, including prescription drugs, with nearly 6% using OTC medications and supplements most days or every day in a given month to help them fall or stay asleep.Image:12_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngEighty-five percent of neurologists, similar to the 88% in our last report, agreed that hobbies and outside interests were very important or important (5 or 4 on our 5-point scale) in helping with relaxation and mental well-being."Diet, physical activity, and engaging in meaningful hobbies are among the most protective ways to prevent burnout. However, the dilemma lies in the fact that typically people don't see diet, physical activity, and other forms of self-care as essential when their schedule becomes extremely full," says Franklin."Self-care is one of the first areas that professionals will cut back on when their schedules get too hectic; however, it is also one of the first items that will give them the resilience needed to be effective."Image:13_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngOn average, neurologists reported spending 3.8 hours per week looking at cell phone, laptop/desktop, and TV screens, excluding work-related screen time. When Medscape asked these doctors if they tried to spend less time online, 46% said they did, somewhat up from the 39% who reported trying to cut back in last year's report.Whereas doctors in general in our survey split evenly on whether they need to cut back on their overall online use, one study found that certain specialties naturally spend more time working in the electronic health record (EHR) than others. Specialties with the highest online EHR use were infectious disease, endocrinology, nephrology, primary care (including family and internal medicine), and hematology. Those who spend the least time include anesthesiology, orthopedics, otorhinolaryngology, surgery, and dermatology.Image:14_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngAlthough a large majority of neurologists are married or living with a partner and 78% reported they had a good or very good marriage, about 1 in 5 described their marriage as fair, poor, or very poor.That may suggest a profession that is extraordinarily good at maintaining the appearance of a happy marriage rather than being in one. Since we know that doctors overall have a lower rate of divorce than the national average, some of the markers we use to measure physician well-being –– marriage rates, specialty satisfaction, years in practice –– may be measuring endurance rather than happiness. Physicians are resilient and don't quit easily, which can make it harder to know when they're truly happy.Image:15_Neuro_MentalHealth26.png"After sacrificing my health and wellness at my last job, I have recognized the importance of taking time to maintain both as a means to longevity in this career," said one physician in our survey. "Not doing so is a fast track to burnout and illness."Most neurologists would appear to agree. As with our last report, a vast majority we surveyed said that vacations were at least "somewhat important" for happiness and well-being; about one fifth managed to take 5 or more weeks per year. Still, on average, one third took only 2 weeks or less vacation time per year.Image:16_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngFamily and personal time remains a high priority for neurologists. All of those we surveyed said it was "very important" or "somewhat important," similar to our prior report (98%).Despite that, 86% of neurologists with children under 21 felt that their kids needed more of their time and attention. That feeling was strong across specialties. One family physician said, "I never had time to go to my children's activities and didn't see them growing up. If I could go back in time, maybe being a doctor wouldn't be my choice. Although I love my patients and interacting with them, I feel I didn't care enough for my family."Others have found ways to align their behavior to their priorities. "I make sure to make it to all my children's events and not catch up on work until they are asleep," one endocrinologist reported.Image:17_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngAlcohol consumption among American adults continues to trend downward amid health concerns, with the share of those who said they drink having fallen to 54%, its lowest point since Gallup began tracking the behavior in 1939. Those who imbibe average 2.8 drinks per week, the lowest figure Gallup has recorded since 1996.Meanwhile, 13% of neurologists who drink told Medscape they prioritized cutting back. About one quarter of neurologists said they abstain from alcohol completely and another 36% said they have less than one drink per week. Last year, those shares were 27% and 31%, respectively.Image:18_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngIn last year's Medscape survey, 38% of neurologists said they exercise at least four times per week, more than this year's share.Fifty-one percent of neurologists in our previous survey reported no changes in the frequency and duration of their exercise compared to a year prior. Compare that response to those of neurologists in our latest survey.Meanwhile, over the past few Medscape surveys, physicians overall reported regular exercise. One pediatrician in our current survey said, "I exercise daily: walking or running between 2 and 8 miles a day. Dogs help with motivation to move daily." A cardiologist added, "I wish I had more time to exercise."Image:19_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngEight in 10 of all doctors in Medscape's survey said they currently have a "very healthy" or "somewhat healthy" diet. As in our prior survey, a majority of neurologists reported that they ate that way, too. However, 2 in 10 admitted they could do better when it comes to their diet. One family doctor responding to our survey lamented, "Since I never have time for my dedicated 30-minute lunch, as I do computer work/charting then, I tend to overeat and gravitate toward unhealthy food choices."Careaga echoes the sentiment. "Exercise, diet, sleep, and family time are important for me to keep on track and energized. But they are difficult to maintain during busy times," he says.Another survey respondent observed that overall well-being takes daily effort and "does not mean just eating right and exercising but truly working on how to live a good life, a flourishing life." He added, "How can I help my patients if I am not trying to mirror this?"Image:20_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngImage:21_Neuro_MentalHealth26.pngRelated Content on MedscapeHow Doctors Are Really Doing: Physician Mental Health & Well-Being Report 2026Medscape Physician Wealth & Debt Report 2026Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026