Surgeons Appear Reluctant to Seek Help for Suicidal Ideation

Surgeons work highly stressful jobs. It is not completely surprising, therefore, that the results of a new study indicate surgeons possess a higher rate of suicidal ideation than the general population. However, this study also indicates many surgeons are afraid to seek help for their suicidal thinking.

The recent study was conducted to examine the rate of suicidal thoughts among surgeons. Additionally, the researchers wanted to determine how many surgeons sought help for these thoughts. The research was conducted by Tait D. Shanafelt, M.D., part of the Mayo Clinic, and colleagues. The researchers surveyed members of the American College of Surgeons in the year 2008. A depression screen, assessments regarding quality of life and burnout, and questions regarding suicidal ideation (thoughts and plans of suicide) and utilization of mental health services comprised the survey. A total of 7,905 surgeons completed the survey.

The researchers discovered that 501 (6.3%) of the surgeons admitted they had experienced thoughts of suicide during the previous year. Older surgeons reported suicidal thoughts more often than did younger surgeons. More specifically, individuals aged 45 years and older were found to experience 1.5 to three times the rate of suicidal ideation experienced by the general population. Additionally, it was discovered that those who had been divorced had higher rates of suicidal ideation while surgeons who were married and had children experienced lower rates of this type of thinking.

Interestingly, the researchers also discovered surgeons who perceived they had made a major medical mistake in the previous three months were at a three-fold increased risk of having suicidal thoughts. More specifically, 16.2% of surgeons who thought they had made a major medical error within the previous three months experienced suicidal thoughts whereas 5.4% of surgeons who asserted they had not made a recent medical error reported experiencing this type of thinking.

The researchers also found suicidal ideation was associated with all three aspects of burnout: depersonalization, emotional exhaustion , and low personal accomplishment as well as with distress, and depression.

Surgeons appeared to be reluctant to seek help from a mental health professional for their suicidal thoughts, according to the results of this study. Specifically, 26% (130) surgeons reported seeking help from a psychiatrist whereas 60.1% (301) of the surgeons reported they were reluctant to seek help for their suicidal thinking because they were afraid that doing so would affect their medical licenses. Furthermore, 461 surgeons said they had utilized antidepressants within the previous year. However, 41 of those surgeons reported they had self-prescribed antidepressant medication to themselves and 34 individuals reported getting a prescription from a friend who was not his or her formal physician.

The authors hypothesize surgeons may be reluctant to seek formal care from a mental health professional for suicidal ideation because 80% of state medical licensing boards ask about mental health problems on the first licensure application and 47% of state licensing boards ask about mental illnesses on renewal licensure applications. The authors note, however, that many state medical boards focus on whether a mental illness is an impairment to one's ability to perform his or her job as a surgeon rather than on whether or not a metal health problem exists.

Future research may be needed to evaluate the specific reasons surgeons are reluctant to seek help for suicidal thinking as well as on how to encourage surgeons to seek help when appropriate. If you would like to read more about the recent study discussed in this article, you may check out the January 2011 edition of Archives of Surgery.

Source:

Psych Central: Surgeons Fear Seeking Out Help for Suicidl Thoughts:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/01/17/surgeons-fear-seeking-out-help-for-suicidal-thoughts/22693.html