https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/896257
NEW YORK — With one completed suicide every day, US physicians have the highest suicide rate of any profession. In addition, the number of physician suicides is more than twice that of the general population, new research shows.
A systematic literature review of physician suicide shows that the suicide rate among physicians is 28 to 40 per 100,000, more than double that in the general population.
Physicians who die by suicide often suffer from untreated or undertreated depression or other mental illnesses, a fact that underscores the need for early intervention, study investigator Deepika Tanwar, MD, Psychiatric Program, Harlem Hospital Center, New York City, told Medscape Medical News.
“It’s very surprising” that the suicide rate among physicians is higher than among those in the military, which is considered a very stressful occupation, Tanwar told Medscape Medical News.
The findings were presented here at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2018 annual meeting.
Stigma, Access to Lethal Means
Using MEDLINE and PubMed, the investigators conducted a systematic literature review of physician suicide that included articles published in peer-reviewed journals during the past 10 years.
The review showed that the physician suicide rate was 28 to 40 per 100,000; in the general population, the overall rate was 12.3 per 100,000.
The results also showed that although female physicians attempt suicide far less often than women in the general population, the completion rate for female physicians exceeds that of the general population by 2.5 to 4 times and equals that of male physicians.
Experts are trying to understand why physician suicide rates are so high, said Tanwar. She pointed out that their review shows that some of the most common diagnoses were mood disorders, alcoholism, and substance abuse.
One study showed that depression affects an estimated 12% of male physicians and up to 19.5% of female physicians, a prevalence that is on par with that of the general population.
Depression is more common in medical students and residents, with 15% to 30% screening positive for depressive symptoms.
The new review showed that poisoning and hanging are among the most common means of physician suicide. The findings also suggest that greater knowledge of and easier access to lethal means account for the higher rate of suicide completion in physicians.
Alarming Rates
Commenting on the findings for Medscape Medical News, Beth Brodsky, PhD, associate clinical professor of medical psychology in psychiatry at Columbia University and the Irving Medical Center, New York City, who is an expert in this field, said the very high rate of physician suicide is “alarming.”
However, she added, it is not surprising, given the stressors physicians face.
When medical students graduate and enter the profession, they face different but equally challenging stressors, said Brodsky.
Brodsky welcomes the APA’s focus on physician suicide because it raises awareness of the issue and will ultimately lead to improved prevention and intervention initiatives.
Filed under: General Problems
Doctors are treated like s***, the day they start medical school. That is exactly why most of them can’t show no compassion for their patients. Government is part of this problem they won’t let doctors just be Dr’s. Like this dumbass law they just passed where hospitals can make doctors work 28 hours at a time. Do you want to go to the emergency room and have a doctor treating you that’s been up all freaking night dealing with multiple trauma cases?
Does anyone know,,,,are their suicides higher since 2001 also???maryw