Suicide among veterinarians in the United States from 1979 through 2015

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To assess proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) for suicide among male and female US veterinarians from 1979 through 2015. DESIGN PMR study. SAMPLE Death records for 11,620 veterinarians. PROCEDURES Information for veterinarians who died during 1979 through 2015 was obtained from AVMA obituary and life insurance databases and submitted to a centralized database of US death records to obtain underlying causes of death. Decedent data that met records-matching criteria were imported into a software program for calculation of PMRs for suicide stratified by sex and indirectly standardized for age, race, and 5-year calendar period with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS 398 deaths resulted from suicide; 326 (82%) decedents were male, 72 (18%) were female, and most (298 [75%]) were ≤ 65 years of age. The PMRs for suicide for all veterinarian decedents (2.1 and 3.5 for males and females, respectively), those in clinical positions (2.2 and 3.4 for males and females, respectively), and those in nonclinical positions (1.8 and 5.0 for males and females, respectively) were significantly higher than for the general US population. Among female veterinarians, the percentage of deaths by suicide was stable from 2000 until the end of the study, but the number of such deaths subjectively increased with each 5-year period. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of the study indicated that PMRs for suicide of female as well as male veterinarians were higher than for the general population. These data may help to inform stakeholders in the creation and implementation of suicide prevention strategies designed for veterinarians. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2019;254:104–112)

Reply to Crawford et al.: Why Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Is an Ethical Solution for Stray Cat Management

“…‘Letting the Cat Out of the Bag’ fails to acknowledge one of the most serious public health risks associated with current urban stray cat management policies in Australia: the impact on the mental health of shelter staff tasked with euthanizing healthy animals [4,5]. Results of a recently published US study reveal a suicide rate among veterinarians that is up to 3.5 times higher than the national suicide rate, with ‘euthanasia procedures’ identified as a likely contributing factor [22]. Staff forced to euthanize healthy cats and kittens often suffer from debilitating ‘moral stress’ [23] and are at high risk of depression and perpetrator-associated traumatic stress.…”

Veterinary Technicians and Occupational Burnout

“…Veterinary professionals' high rates of stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion (31) are especially alarming given the fact that male veterinarians' suicide rates are 2.1 times as high and female veterinarians are 3.5 times as high as the general U.S. population (32). They are also more likely to die from suicide than other health care professionals (33).…”

Response to Wolf et al.: Furthering Debate over the Suitability of Trap-Neuter-Return for Stray Cat Management

“…The full quotes are (i): 'Additionally, research has indicated specific characteristics of the profession likely contribute to a greater than expected number of deaths from suicide among veterinarians, including long work hours, work overload, practice management responsibilities, client expectations and complaints, euthanasia procedures (our italics), and poor work-life balance.' ( [63], p. 109); and (ii) 'Other factors likely include financial debt and knowledge and acceptance of euthanasia procedures (our italics) as well as access to potentially lethal pharmaceutical products. Additionally, veterinarians are trained to view euthanasia as an acceptable method to relieve suffering in animals, which can affect the way veterinarians view human life, including a reduced fear about death, especially among those experiencing suicidal ideation.'…”

“…Additionally, veterinarians are trained to view euthanasia as an acceptable method to relieve suffering in animals, which can affect the way veterinarians view human life, including a reduced fear about death, especially among those experiencing suicidal ideation.' ( [63], p. 110) In Australia specifically, Jones-Fairnie et al [64] raised concern about suicide rates in veterinarians. A more detailed follow-up study noted: ' ... disturbances in psychological well-being are a major problem in the veterinary profession.…”