AHPRA wants doctors who receive a notification to discuss it with their treating GP because “it is normal to be miserable” afterwards.

The regulator is concerned that too many practitioners are going through the notification process alone for fear of being judged when they tell someone about it.

It has recruited a GP who went through a “very painful” Medical Board investigation in 2017 to spread the message about the importance of getting support from colleagues and friends.

In a video posted to the AHPRA website this week, the unnamed GP shares the story of how the notification sent her into a depressive spiral where she cried alone every morning for a year.