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It's the job of doctors to save lives. But what happens when they are the ones needing to be saved? Long before Dr. Jennifer Villwock got into medicine, there were severe feelings of depression. For so many doctors today, they are great at caring for patients but not so great at caring for themselves."And I literally slept on a friend's couch for six months, and I remember her saying, 'I will tell you every day that you're going to be OK until it's true,'" Villwock said.Villwock, who's an ear, nose and throat specialist with the University of Kansas Health System, wrote about the struggle that comes with the job three years ago.But the pandemic has made the struggle harder. And for too many, it's too much. An estimated 300 to 400 doctors die by suicide every year, with too many just too afraid to ask for help."Because they're being told they're heroes and you don't need help, but yet they know that they do," said Dr. Kim Templeton, an orthopedic surgeon.Templeton has worked for years to change that, starting with a question that states ask on forms. For years, when physicians applied for a medical license, admitting to a mental health condition could kill one's career before it started. Templeton has helped change all that sitting on the Kansas Board of Healing Arts."So we switched from asking if you have a specific diagnosis or a mental or physical health condition to ask you what's really more important for patients if you have a condition that would impair your ability to practice medicine," Templeton said.Hospitals are also focusing more on physicians who have reached out for help."And it can be hard to give yourself a break," said Dr. Becky Lowry.Lowry is part of a KU Health System program doing just that."And I think that being able to talk with one another about some of those unique burdens is a really important part of staying healthy," Lowry said.In the end, it's all about helping others and yourself as well.