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Physician suicide remains a looming crisis across the globe, with insufficient data and scarce preventive measures, according to findings presented at the European Psychiatric Association Congress (EPA) 2024. The study, led by Kata Kostyál, PhD, from the University of Szeged, Hungary, sheds light on the alarming lack of awareness and support within healthcare systems for struggling doctors.
Kostyál emphasized the dire situation, revealing that while nurses are routinely screened for burnout and depression, physicians often lack such vital assessments. “Physicians learn how to help their patients, but they do not learn how to seek help or use prevention strategies themselves,” Kostyál said, underscoring the urgent need for targeted interventions within medical communities.
The research, spanning multiple countries, highlighted stark disparities in suicide data collection and prevention efforts. Among the distressing findings, none of the surveyed nations had publicly available data on physician suicides over the past three years. Furthermore, systematic assessments for suicide risk and substance abuse were notably absent across participating countries.
Despite the gravity of the issue, only a handful of countries offered dedicated resources for at-risk physicians. While general suicide hotlines were accessible in most regions, specialized support for healthcare workers in crisis was limited to just three countries: Mexico, Qatar, and Kazakhstan.
In a separate analysis focusing on Norway, where concerted efforts to combat physician suicide have been in place for decades, encouraging trends were observed. Helene Seljenes Dalum, PhD, and colleagues noted declining suicide rates among male physicians, attributing the positive shift to ongoing initiatives aimed at destigmatizing mental health issues within the medical community.
However, the study also revealed concerning trends, with nurses experiencing an uptick in suicide rates over the study period. Notably, the risk of physician suicide increased with age, emphasizing the importance of targeted interventions and support mechanisms for doctors at all career stages.
Erlend Hem, MD, emphasized the need for proactive measures to address mental health challenges among physicians before they escalate. Efforts to reduce stigma and promote access to mental healthcare have shown promise in Norway, suggesting a blueprint for global initiatives.
As the medical community grapples with the complexities of physician suicide, there is a growing consensus on the imperative to prioritize mental health support and destigmatization efforts within healthcare systems worldwide.
