According to the report, suicide is a disproportionate cause of death for U.S. physicians. The study looked at 7,905 participating surgeons and found that 501 (6.3 percent) reported suicidal ideation within the previous 12 months. Among individuals 45 years and older, SI was 1.5-3.0 times as common among surgeons than the general population.
According to the report, only 130 surgeons with recent SI had sought psychiatric or psychological help, while 301 were reluctant to seek help for fear it could affect their medical license.
The researchers concluded that studies are needed to determine how to reduce SI among surgeons and how to eliminate barriers to their use of mental health resources.
Read the Archives of Surgery article on surgeon suicidal ideation.
Read more on the surgeon experience:
–Study: Distressed Surgeons Don’t Want Schedule Restrictions
–Physicians Married to Physicians More Likely to Suffer From Work-Home Conflict, Depressive Symptoms
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