Why doctors die: Physician suicide prevention (1)

In this article we explore science-based small and inexpensive self-care for physician self-care options that may, we hope, help relieve stress and ultimately tackle physician burnout.

Physician perfectionism and burnout are inextricably linked.  Perfectionism in medicine is an unhealthy delusion that fuels not just burnout but mental illness and suicide in doctors. In this article, we explore the concept, causes, and dangers of perfectionistic thinking and behavior in doctors.

We need to talk about physician suicide. Nearly 300 physicians die by suicide every year. National tragedy does not begin to describe it. The agony experienced not just by the victims but their loved ones, colleagues, and patients doesn’t bear thinking about.

Nearly 300 doctors a year die by suicide. That’s a million patients losing their doctors every year. Beyond the horrific numbers are the human stories. In this article, we reference a physician suicide register that collected details of our lost colleagues.

We remember the human beings — physicians, bright, dedicated, loved and loving, yet still human — who died by suicide.

As a psychiatrist, it took me only a few years in practice to realise that everyone needs a therapist (at least once in their lives). Doctors, nurses, and all healthcare practitioners (HCPs) are no different.