(Vienna, 14-04-2023) For the first time, a team led by Claudia Zimmermann from MedUni Vienna's Centre for Public Health examined the suicide risk among members of several Austrian healthcare professions and other highly skilled professions compared with the general population. The results show that the suicide risk among male doctors, tax consultants/auditors is significantly lower than in the general population, while an increased suicide risk was found in the case of female doctors, dentists, veterinarians and pharmacists. The study demonstrates that increased awareness and specific suicide prevention measures in health professions can contribute to improving the situation.
Some foreign studies indicate that people in health professions have a higher risk of suicide. However, the results are not consistent and vary in different countries. Research has also shown that highly qualified professions are affected less, which is attributed to higher income and levels of education.
For the first time, a new study conducted at MedUni Vienna's Department of Epidemiology examined the suicide risk and the methods of members of several Austrian health professions (doctors, dentists, veterinarians, pharmacists) and other highly skilled professions (notaries, tax consultants/auditors and lawyers) in comparison to the general population. For this purpose, data of deceased members were compared with the Austrian cause-of-death statistics in cooperation with the respective chambers. This made it possible to determine suicide cases and compare their frequency with the general population in Austria.
"The results show that only veterinarians had a significantly increased risk of suicide among the male members of these professions," says Claudia Zimmermann from the Department of Epidemiology at MedUni Vienna and lead author of the study. Male doctors, tax consultants and auditors displayed a significantly lower risk than the male population. The situation was different for women: The risk was higher in all four health professions, yet lower for female tax advisors/auditors.
In the general population, more than three times as many men die of suicide as women. This chasm between genders is significantly narrower in the studied occupational groups (e.g. twice as high suicide rate of male pharmacists compared to female pharmacists) or hardly exists at all (equally high suicide rate of female and male dentists).
These findings suggest that increased awareness and specific suicide prevention measures in health professions, especially with regard to women, can help improve the situation.
Help for individuals in crisis
Help facilities for individuals in crisis and with suicidal thoughts throughout Austria can be found by those affected at www.suizid-praevention.gv.at
Publication: Psychiatry research
Suicide mortality among physicians, dentists, veterinarians and pharmacists as well as other highly skilled occupations in Austria from 1986 through 2020
Zimmermann, C; Strohmaier, S; Niederkrotenthaler, T; Thau, K; Schernhammer, E. (2023) DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115170.