Hospitals Considering Lighter Work Weeks, Other Options To Combat High Doctor Suicide Rates

Physician health advocates are lobbying for lighter work weeks and other options to combat the high U.S. physician suicide rate, which is approximately double the general population’s.

“The fact that physicians are surrounded by helpers in the health system, yet fail to access help when needed, suggests a tremendous culture of silence within the profession with regards to physicians who are struggling with mental illness, substance abuse and issues related to stress and burnout,” Dr. Chris Bundy of the Washington Physicians Health Program told The Daily Caller News Foundation via telephone.

The physician suicide rate is 28 to 40 per 100,000 individuals per year compared to approximately 12 per 100,000 individuals per year in the general population, according to data presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s 2018 annual meeting. Approximately 300 to 400 doctors die by suicide each year, according to Medscape.

More than half of U.S. physicians have symptoms of burnout, which “manifests as emotional exhaustion, loss of meaning in work, and feelings of ineffectiveness,” according to a 2014 Mayo Clinic survey. Burnout can harm physicians’ mental health and even make them feel like taking their own lives is the answer.

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