Not enough help for themselves--the risk of physicians to commit suicide

• Published in: Archiv fur Kriminologie Vol. 218; no. 3-4; p. 89
• Main Authors: Püschel, Klaus, Schalinski, Sarah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Germany 01-09-2006
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Alcoholism - diagnosis; Alcoholism - mortality; Bipolar Disorder - diagnosis; Bipolar Disorder - mortality; Causality; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - mortality; Female; Germany; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Physician Impairment - legislation & jurisprudence; Physician Impairment - psychology; Physician Impairment - statistics & numerical data; Risk; Stress, Psychological - complications; Substance-Related Disorders - diagnosis; Substance-Related Disorders - mortality; Suicide - legislation & jurisprudence; Suicide - psychology; Suicide - statistics & numerical data; Germany
• ISSN: 0003-9225

Physicians seem unwilling to deal with their own suicidal problems professionally. Suicide is a repressed topic. According to international studies, medical students and physicians are clearly over-represented among suicide victims. Committing suicide stands in sharp contrast to the positive image physicians enjoy as competent, strong helpers transmitting positive energy. Various studies and meta-analyses show that physicians use knowledge specific to their profession and are therefore "more successful" than the general population in committing suicide. Moreover, the data reveal a number of risk factors specifically correlating with medical practice. This is confirmed by an increased number of suicides during medical training and professional life in comparison with the general population. Gender-specific analyses show an even higher suicide risk for female physicians. In this context it cannot be excluded that out of "professional respect" cardiovascular causes of death are sometimes falsely documented in death certificates instead of suicide. Despite their special education, physicians are not very good at diagnosing their own emotional disorders and asking colleagues for adequate professional help. They rather tend to camouflage their own psychological problems also because they are afraid of occupational and personal discrimination.