Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

We cannot afford to lose our physicians to suicide

Joseph P. Merlino, MD
Physician
December 29, 2016
135 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

In January, the National Academy of Medicine is launching a new committee to address the high rates of depression and suicide among physicians and other health care workers in the United States.  They plan to bring together medical professionals, educators and hospital administrators, and I hope they will also bring to the table professionals who have experienced burnout, and who may have attempted suicide due to burnout.  I say this because I am well aware of their pain, and I believe they can best shed light on helping to find the best solutions.

I have the important job at my medical institution of working with others to create a campus culture where the aim is to prevent, recognize and treat problems like burnout and depression before it is too late.  Those of us who are physicians, or who work with faculty and students, know that the prevalent culture in medicine today needs to change from the traditional “get the job done, don’t show emotion, don’t ask for help” to one where physicians and doctors-in-training can speak openly and seek help when needed without fear of having their professional careers jeopardized. Physicians also must come to appreciate that just like the patients whose suffering they are called upon to relieve, that they too are only human.

Pressures have never been greater in the medical profession and in the high-stakes arena of medical research.  And with the looming possibility that the Affordable Care Act may be repealed or radically changed, bringing in yet more change and challenge for hospitals and health care professionals, it will only get worse.

In the past few months, a Mount Sinai College of Medicine medical student close to the end of her training and no doubt in despair purposefully jumped to her death from a building on campus. I believe it more likely than not that burnout, exhaustion, and frustration played a role in this tragic event. She joined an all too long list of other medical students, residents, and physicians who took their own lives.  Her tragic death was only the latest public example in a pattern that is unfortunately all too common today in all academic medical institutions throughout our country and well known to those of us working in academic medicine.

Sadly, because stoicism and silence are the norm when it comes to feelings of despair among the medical community — the so-called “silent crisis of physician burnout” — this problem often goes undiagnosed by faculty, hospital professionals and medical students alike.

Tragically, in the United States, physicians are much more likely to commit suicide than the general public according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  Male doctors have suicide rates 70 percent higher than other men; female physicians suicide at a shocking 250 to 400 percent higher rate than other women. That’s 300 to 400 MDs each year that take their own lives,  over twice the size of an average entire medical school class.  Medical students have rates of depression, a major risk for suicide, 15 to 30 percent higher than the general population.  A 2016 article in Medical Education reported a global prevalence of depression in medical students of 28 percent with the overall mean frequency of suicidal ideation being almost 6 percent in medical students.  While often called an epidemic, steps to address this dreadful reality seem to be too little too late.

Burnout is the loss of enthusiasm for work, feelings of cynicism, and a low sense of personal accomplishment.  It is the very snuffing out of the flame that burned as idealism in those called to medicine and science discovery in the first place. There are multiple costs due to burnout in addition to the personal including its affect on patient safety, patient and staff satisfaction, overall productivity, and increased acts of physician incivility.

We can wait for the National Academy of Medicine report recommendations, but health care institutions and centers for medical education and research need to take a very close look at a root cause of this problem now: the very culture of medical practice and medical education. Identifying and addressing burnout on our medical campuses as soon as possible is one important prevention intervention for suicide. This applies to everyone, but certainly to physicians — half of whom reveal they feel the symptoms of burnout.  We need to make it OK to talk about stress, anxiety, and depression — and even about having thoughts of suicide. Doctors and all health professionals need to talk about this for ourselves so we can be there for the patients who may be suffering from the same thoughts and feelings.  This topic should be a discussion in departmental grand rounds and journal clubs. It should be raised often with faculty and students. We need to begin to openly discuss how our burnout is affecting us — and our families, institutions, and patients.  We need to show concern for our colleagues whom we know or suspect of being burned out and/or depressed.  Let us provide the education and support that encourages and permits our colleagues to ask for help.  In New York State, the Committee for Physician Health can provide guidance, support, and assistance in arranging treatment without penalty to anyone’s career.

And if we are in positions of leadership and able to implement programs on our campuses to provide education and support for our students and colleagues, let us do so now and show the leadership necessary to beat this epidemic as we have previous epidemics including smallpox, cholera, polio, tuberculosis, and AIDS.

We cannot afford to lose another 300 to 400 of our colleagues this year.  Let our collective efforts change our relationship with burnout and suicide from one of being its victim to its vanquisher.

Joseph P. Merlino is a psychiatrist and fellow ambassador, the New York Academy of Medicine.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Does racial bias compromise patient care?

December 29, 2016 Kevin 14
…
Next

10 most popular KevinMD posts of 2016

December 29, 2016 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Medical school, Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Does racial bias compromise patient care?
Next Post >
10 most popular KevinMD posts of 2016

Related Posts

  • Physicians and medical students: Unlearn helplessness

    Jamie Katuna
  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • The risk physicians take when going on social media

    Anonymous
  • Beware of pseudoscience: The desperate need for physicians on social media

    Valerie A. Jones, MD
  • When physicians are cyberbullied: an interview with ZDoggMD

    Monique Tello, MD
  • Surprising and unlikely rewards of social media engagement by physicians

    Lisa Chan, MD

More in Physician

  • From solidarity to co-liberation: Understanding the journey towards ending oppression

    Maiysha Clairborne, MD
  • Finding peace through surrender: a personal exploration

    Dympna Weil, MD
  • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

    Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH
  • Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care

    Nana Dadzie Ghansah, MD
  • How to overcome telemedicine’s biggest obstacles

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • The patient who became my soulmate

    Anonymous
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • From physician to patient: one doctor’s journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury

      Stephanie Pearson, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the stigma: Addressing the struggles of physicians

      Jean Antonucci, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of misery in medicine: a practical guide

      Paul R. Ehrmann, DO | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Why are doctors sued and politicians aren’t?

      Kellie Lease Stecher, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Unlock the power of physician compensation data in contract negotiations [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From pennies to attending salaries: Why physicians should teach their kids financial literacy

      Michele Cho-Dorado, MD | Finance
    • From solidarity to co-liberation: Understanding the journey towards ending oppression

      Maiysha Clairborne, MD | Physician
    • Changing the pediatric care landscape: Integrating behavioral and mental health care

      Hilary M. Bowers, MD | Conditions
    • Contract Diagnostics is the only firm 100 percent dedicated to physician contract reviews

      Contract Diagnostics | Sponsored
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 6 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Pregnant, Black? Here's Your Drug Test
  • Progestin-Only Birth Control Linked to Small Increase in Breast Cancer Risk
  • Fatty Acid Tube Feeding May Backfire for Preemie Breathing Disorder
  • Case Reports Detail Vision Loss Linked to Recalled Artificial Tears
  • Admin Trumps Med Students: Anti-Abortion Group Allowed on Campus

Meeting Coverage

  • Outlook for Itchy Prurigo Nodularis Continues to Improve With IL-31 Antagonist
  • AAAAI President Shares Highlights From the 2023 Meeting
  • Second-Line Sacituzumab Govitecan Promising in Platinum-Ineligible UC
  • Trial of Novel TYK2 Inhibitor Hits Its Endpoint in Plaque Psoriasis
  • Durable Vitiligo Responses With Topical Ruxolitinib
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • From physician to patient: one doctor’s journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury

      Stephanie Pearson, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the stigma: Addressing the struggles of physicians

      Jean Antonucci, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of misery in medicine: a practical guide

      Paul R. Ehrmann, DO | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Why are doctors sued and politicians aren’t?

      Kellie Lease Stecher, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Unlock the power of physician compensation data in contract negotiations [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From pennies to attending salaries: Why physicians should teach their kids financial literacy

      Michele Cho-Dorado, MD | Finance
    • From solidarity to co-liberation: Understanding the journey towards ending oppression

      Maiysha Clairborne, MD | Physician
    • Changing the pediatric care landscape: Integrating behavioral and mental health care

      Hilary M. Bowers, MD | Conditions
    • Contract Diagnostics is the only firm 100 percent dedicated to physician contract reviews

      Contract Diagnostics | Sponsored
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

We cannot afford to lose our physicians to suicide
6 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...