Why Medicine Leads the Professions in Suicide, and What We Can Do About It

Earlier this month, one of us visited a prominent U.S. medical school to give a lecture on the topic of burnout and how physicians can find more fulfillment in the medical profession. Sadly, that very day, a fourth-year medical student there took her own life.

The problem was not personal failure; she had recently gotten into a competitive residency program at one of the nation’s most prestigious hospitals. Yet apparently, she still found the prospect of the life ahead more than she could bear.

This is hardly an isolated incident. A study reported earlier this month at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting revealed that among U.S. professionals, physicians have the highest suicide rate. According to the researchers, the suicide rate in medicine is more than twice that of the general population, with at least one physician suicide per day in the U.S. In fact, the actual number is probably higher, as the stigma of suicide results in underreporting.

The news gets even worse. There is good reason to think that when it comes to distress among physicians, suicide is only a particularly noticeable indicator of a much larger problem. For every physician who attempts suicide, many others are struggling with burnout and depression. One recent survey found that 42 percent of U.S. physicians are burned out, with rates of 38 percent among men and 48 percent among women. Such distress manifests itself in other ways, such as alcoholism, substance abuse, and poor patient care.

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