Attitudes Toward Physician Mental Health and Suicide
by TARA TAMTON , DO , AUDREY SUMMERS , MD , & ALI A . FAROOQUI , MD increase in depressive symptoms during one ’ s intern year . 3
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U . S . 48,183 Americans died by suicide in 2021 ; 816 were Kentuckians . The risk of death by suicide involves age , sex , race / ethnicity , socioeconomic status and profession , with physicians having an increased risk compared to the general population . Approximately 300 physicians , or 30 out of every 100,000 , die by suicide every year . 2 , 3 Suicide risk among female physicians is greater than male physicians and the risk can be further stratified among medical specialty . 4 The data on physician suicide suggests that risk is highest among anesthesiologists , psychiatrists , general practitioners and general surgeons . 5 Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 ( most physicians complete training by their early 30s ). 6 In addition , there is a 15.8 %
Interestingly , despite objective and anecdotal evidence that physicians have a higher risk of suicide than the general population , CDC data analyzing suicide trends did not include doctors . 7 This study listed occupational groups with significantly higher suicide rates , especially among female civilian working persons aged 16-64 years . Registered nurses were among the groups with a suicide rate of 10.1 % while health care practitioners overall had a rate of 8.5 %, but the study did not clarify which occupations fit into that category . Given this paucity of data , we surveyed physicians and other health care professionals in Kentucky to investigate their suicide risk and mental health burden .
The survey had 89 respondents . Most respondents were physicians specializing in psychiatry ( n = 69 ). 40 % of subjects had experienced a depressive episode in the last five years , and 19 % reported a history of contemplating suicide . Incidence was higher among female subjects ( n = 24 ). 17 % of subjects admitted to experiencing a substance use disorder at some point in their lives , with greater incidence among males ( n = 11 ). Unfortunately , 32.6 % of all participants stated that they would avoid seeking treatment for mental health or substance use due to perceived stigma . 20.7 % stated that they would doubt the clinical judgment of a provider
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