Suicide High Among Female Doctors
More than double the rate of general public
The Harvard Gazette, February 3, 2005
by
William J. Cromie, Harvard News Office
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Male doctors take their own lives at a higher rate than the general population of white men in the United States. That's been known for some time. Now, the largest, latest study of physician suicides in this country has found that female doctors take their lives much more often. The study was undertaken by Harvard Medical School researchers following the death of a young female physician who took her life in the School's library. Eva Schernhammer and Graham Colditz examined the results of 25 studies of physician suicides and concluded that male doctors killed themselves at a rate 41 percent higher than that of other men and women. The more startling finding was that female doctors take their lives at a rate more than twice (2.27 times) that of the general public. "We do not yet have a clear answer to why this is," admits Schernhammer, who works at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a Harvard teaching affiliate in Boston. "There is evidence that depression, drug abuse, and alcoholism, possibly related to stress, are often associated with suicides of physicians. Female physicians in particular have been shown to have a higher frequency of alcoholism than women in the general population." The women may feel more stress because of gender bias and an increased need to succeed in this male dominated profession. That seems likely, but Schernhammer says there have been no conclusive studies to back it up. She also notes that being single and not having children, which applies more to women then men in medicine, "has been linked to higher suicide rates." According to another study, done last year, the most common way that doctors take their lives is by poisoning themselves, often with drugs taken from their offices or laboratories.
Critical of themselves The Harvard researchers published the results of their investigation in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. In this report, they cite evidence from other studies that doctors who kill themselves "are more critical of others and of themselves, and are more likely to blame themselves for their own illnesses." Other studies conclude that doctors feel uncomfortable turning to their colleagues for help. Instead, they may "resort to alcohol or drugs and isolation. Once they seek help, it appears likely they are not taken seriously enough by their fellow colleagues." One investigation found that more than half of physicians who sought help later committed suicide. Although they had been diagnosed with psychiatric problems, none were hospitalized before they took their lives. Schernhammer and Colditz believe that the underlying risk factors for female physicians' suicide could make them good targets for prevention programs. They highlight such factors as a high incidence of psychiatric disorders, especially depression. Also, excessive drug use can be a sign that they are under the kind of stress and strain that leads to suicide. The researchers recommend that the higher risk of suicide among physicians, particularly female physicians, be recognized nationally. They suggest that more studies be done to determine the causes of the suicides and to find possible ways to stop them. As a model for such intervention, they cite a program that resulted in dropping the suicide rate among U.S. Air Force personnel from 16.4 per 100,000 people to 9.4 per 100,000 in two years. These interventions should, they say, include discreet and confidential access to psychotherapy for stressed-out physicians. Last but not least, Schernhammer suggests, "an open discussion of the stress encountered in medical careers is critical for successful early recognition of impairment and risk of suicide." |