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2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Written by Hyzhou

One in 10 doctors wants to kill himself?

Suicide has become a public health crisis in the United States. Among doctors, the incidence of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts is higher than in the general American, sometimes significantly increased. [1]

This is a 2023 report from Medscape that includes 9,100 physicians in more than 29 specialties.

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Source: Reference 1 (all below are from here)

24% of physicians surveyed were clinically depressed, and one in 10 people wanted to commit suicide

According to the survey, 24% of respondents showed clinical depressive symptoms, that is, "severe depressive states of prolonged duration that cannot be explained by mood swings"; A further 67% of respondents showed depressive symptoms such as low mood, but did not reach the level of clinical depression.

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Statistics on depressive states of doctors

Of the total population surveyed, 9% of doctors had suicidal thoughts and 1% committed suicidal attempts.

This figure is essentially the same as in the past year and, despite a significant decrease from 2021 during the pandemic[2, 3], is still significantly higher than the average for US adults (suicidal thoughts: 4.9%, suicidal behavior: 0.5%). In addition, the proportion of clinically depressed doctors has also increased in the past three years.

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Statistics of suicidal tendencies in 2021~2023, compiled from references 1,2,3

The CEO of mental health platform Async Health said: "We have reason to be concerned about this figure, and such a high level of suicidal tendencies combined with the expertise of a doctor is worrying."

Depression and suicidal tendencies among doctors have been a serious problem since surveillance began.

"For all people, too much work and loss of control of life is a catalyst for depression." Andrea Giedinghagen, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said in the article, "The pandemic and the inadequacy of the entire medical system have made this situation even worse."

There are differences between doctors in different specialties, and the younger you are, the more likely you are to attempt suicide

Among respondents with suicidal thoughts, the proportion of women was slightly higher than that of men (similar proportions).

In the general population in the United States, there is a significant difference in this proportion, and the proportion of suicidal behavior in women is generally 2~3 times that of men.

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Statistics on differences between men and women regarding suicidal thoughts and behaviors

In terms of age, suicidal thoughts slowly decreased with the increase of the age of the respondents (27~41 years old: 12% / 42~56 years old: 10% / 57~75 years old: 8%).

This is also the opposite of the statistics of the general population in the United States: in the general American population, men over the age of 45 are at high risk of suicide.

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Statistics on suicidal thoughts and behaviors among doctors of different ages

"From this data, you can feel the pressure of doctors of a specific age. Thankfully, relatively small percentage of people admitted to suicidal thoughts but actually behaved suicidally, suggesting that they may have discussed the issue with a trusted colleague, family member or friend, or sought help from a professional counsellor." Michael F. Myers, professor of clinical psychiatry, said.

Professionally, in this year's survey, doctors in otolaryngology, psychiatry, family medicine, anesthesia, obstetrics and gynecology, and emergency medicine showed higher suicidal thoughts; Correspondingly, praxial, imaging, renal, oncology, rheumatology, and respiratory physicians showed lower suicidal thoughts.

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Statistics on suicidal thoughts and behaviors of doctors of different specialties

However, over the years, the degree of correspondence between majors and suicidal thoughts has not been consistent, and this ranking often varies greatly depending on the year of the survey.

Some doctors, worried about their license records, choose to hide them

About 60% of people with suicidal thoughts confide in them, up slightly from 58% 4 years ago. Of those, about 38 percent sought help from a therapist, 36 percent confessed to a family member, 25 percent confided in a friend or colleague, and 5 percent called a suicide hotline.

Notably, the number of people seeking help from a therapist has increased by 4% compared to 4 years ago. Among them, men are more likely to confide in therapists or family procedures, while women are more likely to confide in friends or colleagues.

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide
2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Statistics on the percentage of ways to seek help

It is worth mentioning that despite improvements in recent years, suicidal ideation is still sometimes seen as stigmatizing, with 22% of respondents worried that colleagues would know about their suicidal tendencies and 33% worried that suicidal thoughts would be recorded on insurance policies.

In addition, for doctors whose state licenses require them to complete a "suicidal nature questionnaire," TAs who fear losing their jobs by admitting to suicidal tendencies are often afraid to confide in anyone. According to statistics, 42% of respondents chose not to confide their suicidal thoughts because the licensing agency did not want to know.

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Statistics on the reasons for not seeking professional help

"I don't know who I can trust, and I don't know who I can turn to for help."

"I am afraid that I will lose my job because I confide in my suicidal tendencies, and maybe this will have a negative impact on my future job search and license."

"Although doctors are very sensitive and take suicidal tendencies in their patients very seriously, they often don't do so when they are suicidal in themselves. It may have something to do with the stigma of asking for help."

Previous studies have found that suicide stigma is significantly associated with suicide, and that changing public discrimination against suicide survivors can significantly reduce suicide [4, 5]. Raising awareness of the public's unbiased view of suicide can also improve suicidality [6].

In the question "Have any colleagues confided suicidal thoughts to you", 9% of male respondents and 11% of female respondents answered "yes". The vast majority of doctors choose to help these colleagues by talking to them.

Should schools or hospitals be held responsible?

The researchers also raised the question: Should medical schools or hospitals be held responsible for suicide?

Younger doctors are more likely to believe that medical schools or hospitals are to blame for the suicide of a student or doctor.

On the other hand, some people think that holding schools or hospitals accountable is an oversimplification of the problem: "Suicide is caused by a combination of factors, often when a person is under a lot of stress in a short period of time, or when a 'perfect storm' (an event that occurs in a rare combination of multiple factors)."

"If this stress is associated with a poor study or work environment, then we should indeed acknowledge that school or hospital is one of the drivers of suicide." But be aware that every year many medical students or doctors commit suicide for reasons completely unrelated to school or work."

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

Population statistics on whether schools or hospitals are responsible for suicide

Finally, at the end of the questionnaire, the questionnaire asked "what should doctors do if they are suicidal". In addition to some public emergency suicide hotlines, doctors can seek unique assistance.

2023 doctor's suicide report: More than 20% of people are depressed, and 1 in 10 people want to commit suicide

The American Association of Suicidology has committees for physician suicide prevention. PeerRX Med also provides a platform for physicians to provide each other with spiritual support.

Curator: Carollero | Executive Producer: Gyouza

Source: Visual China

Resources:

1. McKenna, J. Doctors' Burden: Medscape Physician Suicide Report 2023. 2023 Mar 3; Available from: https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2023-physician-suicide-report-6016243?icd=login_success_gg_match_norm#.

2. Yasgur, B.S. A Tragedy of the Profession: Medscape Physician Suicide Report 2022. 2022 Mar 4; Available from: https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2022-physician-suicide-report-6014970#3.

3. Kane, L. 'Death by 1000 Cuts': Medscape National Physician Burnout & Suicide Report 2021. 2021 Jan 22; Available from: https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2021-lifestyle-burnout-6013456#19.

4. Mayer, L., et al., Anticipated Suicide Stigma, Secrecy, and Suicidality among Suicide Attempt Survivors. Suicide Life Threat Behav, 2020. 50(3): p. 706-713.

5. Oexle, N., et al., Mental illness stigma and suicidality: the role of public and individual stigma. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci, 2018. 27(2): p. 169-175.

6. Gearing, R.E., et al., Suicide in China: Community Attitudes and Stigma. Omega (Westport), 2023. 86(3): p. 809-832.

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