Quick answer: Psychiatrists are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #124 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 49.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are emotional demands and responsibility burden.
Psychiatrists stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands72.1 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden68.1 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands58.8 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control9.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony53.9 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment36.6 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for psychiatrists
Compared with the average Australian occupation, psychiatrists score furthest above the norm on emotional demands (72.1 vs 37.9 average), responsibility burden (68.1 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (58.8 vs 56 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is frequency of decision making at 85.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 70.7.
The occupation scores below the national average for lack of control (9.1 vs 24.5), precision and monotony (53.9 vs 67.7) and physical environment (36.6 vs 38.2), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for psychiatrists
- 1Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
85.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 2Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
82.8/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 3Emotional demands
Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People
82/100
All-occupation average: 50.4
- 4Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
79.2/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 5Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
78/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
All 22 stress factors for psychiatrists
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
72.1 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People62 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People82 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations72.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
68.1 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results56 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety50 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results79.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error72.5 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others82.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
58.8 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure76.2 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week78 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment1.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making85.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition52.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
9.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions3.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work15 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
53.9 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks35.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate72.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
36.6 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable43 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting2.8 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures0.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections70.2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity66.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for psychiatrists map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Psychiatrists: how stressful is the job?
Psychiatrists rank #124 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 49.8/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 60.9% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for psychiatrists?
The highest-scoring hazards are frequency of decision making (85.5/100), coordinate or lead others (82.8/100) and deal with unpleasant or angry people (82/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden and pace and demands.
Which stress factors are lower for psychiatrists?
Psychiatrists score below the national average for lack of control (9.1 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (53.9 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (36.6 vs 38.2 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for psychiatrists. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.