Suicide is more common among physicians than it is among the general population, but only about a quarter of surgeons who admitted to having suicidal thoughts in a 2008 survey had sought help from a psychiatrist or psychologist.
In the survey of 7,905 members of the American College of Surgeons, about 6% reported having thoughts of suicide in the previous year. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who published their survey findings in the January issue of Archives of Surgery, identified several factors that increased the risk of suicidal thoughts among surgeons:
Medical errors."The perception of having made a major medical error in the previous 3 months was associated with a 3-fold increased risk of suicidal ideation," according to the study authors.
Older age. The rate of suicidal thoughts was 1.5 to 3 times greater among surgeons aged 45 and older than among the general population.
Marital status. The risk of suicidal thoughts was lower among those married with children and higher among those who had been divorced.
Depression and burnout. Depression, distress, emotional exhastion, depersonalization and low personal accomplishment were all associated with suicidal thoughts.
Of the 501 surgeons who reported having recent suicidal thoughts, only 26% said they'd sought help from a professional to deal with their distress. About 60% said they were reluctant to seek help because it might impact their licensure. The authors note that 80% of state medical boards ask about mental illness when surgeons first apply for licenses, and nearly half as about mental illness upon license renewal.
Although physicians have a higher rate of suicide than other professionals, they don't have a higher lifetime risk of depression, the authors note. They recommend further studies to determine what causes surgeons to be at a greater risk for suicide and to identify ways "to reduce surgeons' distress and eliminate barriers that lead to underuse of mental health resources."
Irene Tsikitas
