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.

At a recent Physicians Anonymous meeting, we discussed an article on random acts of kindness. Researchers gave 84 random people in a wintry Chicago park free hot chocolates. They were then given the choice to gift it to another or keep it for themselves. Guess what happened?

Women physicians still face disproportionate challenges within their medical careers compared to men. Unsurprisingly, those women who face more work-related stressors report less satisfaction with their careers, and more burnout occurs in female doctors.

This blog explores the science of gratitude for physicians, how it may tackle burnout, and gives some suggestions for gratitude practice.

In a previous article, we explored the evidence base for gratitude. In this article, we illustrate 7 physician gratitude practices that may help on a level. We also note that no one intervention is a panacea for the core systemic issues causing the current epidemic of physician burnout and moral injury.

If there is anything positive to come from this pandemic, it is the realization of the importance of peer support. Physician peer support programs with an emphasis on preventing burnout and growing community have are being piloted and implemented in different ways and organizations around the country.

In this article, I write about 5 steps towards physician post-traumatic growth. These are simple daily practices that may help you rebuild with precious metal holding and enhancing your imperfections.

For those of us who survive the trauma of medicine, there is indeed the possibility of physicians rebuilding happier, stronger, maybe even smarter. Like a shattered vase repaired with gold running through it, post-traumatic growth for physicians is a thing.

While traits like conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism are helpful in being a successful and safe clinician, they can have their downsides.

Physician loneliness is a thing. In Part 2, I look at the lonely physician and systemic (“Them”) factors and solutions.