GPs are often bombarded with both overt and subliminal messages to carry on, keep on achieving, keep on working (often well beyond what is sustainable for the individual longer term) and generally not give up. The mortgage and other living costs reinforce this of course.
There is, unfortunately, a culture in medicine where it seems to be regarded as some sort of failure to let go. Yet there must be a balance between carrying on and letting go, and this is applicable to life as a whole.
Hopefully this ‘hang on/let go’ issue is acknowledged fully at end of life palliative care, and a balance achieved. This is between making a person comfortable and being proactive (the latter of which may be damaging to difficult family interactions). This is never an easy canyon to straddle, but an important one to be aware of.
