A report in the January issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals says that as many as one in 16 surgeons reported having suicidal thoughts in the previous year, but few sought help from a mental health clinician.Death from suicide is more common among physicians than among the general population or among other professionals, according to background information in the article. "Although suicide is strongly linked to depression, the lifetime risk of depression among physicians is similar to that of the general U.S. population," the authors write. "This observation suggests that other factors may contribute to the increased risk of suicide among physicians. Access to lethal medications and knowledge of how to use them has been suggested as one factor; however, the influence of professional characteristics and forms of distress other than depression (e.g., burnout) are largely unexplored." Tait D. Shanafelt, M.D., of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and colleagues surveyed members of the American College of Surgeons in 2008. The anonymous survey included questions regarding suicidal ideation (thoughts or plans of suicide) and the use of mental health resources, a depression screening tool and assessments of burnout and quality of life.Of 7,905 participating surgeons (a response rate of 31.7 percent), 501 (6.3 percent) reported thoughts of suicide during the previous year. Older surgeons were more likely to report suicidal thoughts—surgeons age 45 and older had 1.5 to three times the rate of suicidal ideation of the general population. Being married and having children were associated with a lower likelihood of suicidal thoughts, and the risk was higher among those who had been divorced.
Source:MedIndia
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