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why the highest??? is being a dentist really that bad? anyone thought about this?
dentist-- highest suicide rate of any profession
- Thread starter ///M5
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This horse has been beat to death too many times on this forum. For real facts on this subject (and not hearsay and other urban legends), check out this link:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan01/suicide.html
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan01/suicide.html
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///M5 said:
well if you thing about it, running from office to office looking at 40 sets of nasty teeth a day may make some people a little crazy.......
its really a stress filled job thats for sure.
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its not a myth nor is it the real truth; its just that there are a number of statistical records indicating the same, but those statistics does not compare dentistry with every possible profession in the world..so the answer is still unknown...KY2007 said:
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look at it from this perspective, its a job where you are relying on full functioning of your hands... if you lose manual dexterity, you cant do your job, no income potential, your family suffers, you feel like a failure...
thats what i would see as cause of suicide, not looking at teeth everyday.
but anywas, the suicide rate for dentists isnt higher than general population, also the data on dentists was really old, from the 70s. also dentists live 2.8 years more than avg public
dont let the suicide thing hold you back from dentistry.
some more articles...
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_6_34/ai_82261832
http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/dentists.html
thats what i would see as cause of suicide, not looking at teeth everyday.
but anywas, the suicide rate for dentists isnt higher than general population, also the data on dentists was really old, from the 70s. also dentists live 2.8 years more than avg public
dont let the suicide thing hold you back from dentistry.
some more articles...
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_6_34/ai_82261832
http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/dentists.html
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i dont know, sometimes i think dentistry is more of an art form (with the drill, crowning, braces, cosmitics and such) if the patients unhappy with your werk, all you hear is complaining. i mean, teeth are for permnement and will remain with you for life
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simpledoc said:
So it's a myth.
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Oh my God! I am going to go hide my guns!
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dentist_to_be? said:look at it from this perspective, its a job where you are relying on full functioning of your hands... if you lose manual dexterity, you cant do your job, no income potential, your family suffers, you feel like a failure...
thats what i would see as cause of suicide, not looking at teeth everyday.
but anywas, the suicide rate for dentists isnt higher than general population, also the data on dentists was really old, from the 70s. also dentists live 2.8 years more than avg public
dont let the suicide thing hold you back from dentistry.
some more articles...
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_6_34/ai_82261832
http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/dentists.html
thats crap.
you lose function of your hands and you can still open several dental offices and hire people to work for you and supervise or be the administrator of you can be a professor at a dental school.
Theres always something. Now if you go blind thats an entirely diff prob !
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///M5 said:
there is a high % of suicide in white male physicians. Dont know if dentists are included.
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"A number of statistical records," eh? I don't suppose you'd care to produce some of them for us? I'd love to take a gander at their credibility.simpledoc said:
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What, and you think that isn't a problem for physicians too?///M5 said:
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///M5 said:
I've talked to several highly respected suicide researchers at the "Hang Em High" Institute and all have been frustrated with the dental field. Mainly because--- and I quote Dr. Cold Barrel, "Most of the dental subjects that are to turn-in their surveys never do and their families aren't talking."
Now don't read too much into this----but that's scary stuff.
Please be aware of the road you're choosing. You are about to embark on a career that is going to force you to work and avg. of 36 hrs a week, make an avg. $174,000 a year, have too much time to spend with your family, and force you become friends with other medical professionals ( ) who get paid less each year yet work 2x-3x the hours. RUN FROM DENTISTRY, RUN LIKE THE WIND - Joined
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vertical bite said:
White males tend to have the highest suicide of all demographic groups. Their are expections for success whether it be doctor, lawyer, or businessman. If the shoes can't be filled, the black male blames society, but the white male blames himself. The former culminates in crime, the latter in suicide.
Just yesterday the CEO of Boeing was fired for having a consensual affair. The woman kept her job. He never killed himself, but it must have really stung. According to Bill and Hillary Clinton, women and blacks should have sex whenever they want. White men, however, should NEVER have sex. Two sides to every coin I suppose.
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I asked the the dentist I interned and she says that the dental profession does have a high suicide rate, but so does medicine. The reason she says is because people get into a profession without fully appreciating the significance of it. Due to pressure from parents and the need to gain status in society, they get into a career that they do not truly enjoy. The job can be mundane, looking at teeth on a day to day basis, and they invested a ton of money and years into it and can't afford to change their careers. This combination of turmoil and the feeling of trappedness leads some dentists, and physicians, to suicide.
Because of people like this, I think that's why schools stress experience and internships so much. It's so that people don't get into the wrong profession and get stuck with it.
Because of people like this, I think that's why schools stress experience and internships so much. It's so that people don't get into the wrong profession and get stuck with it.
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I would imagine that the suicide rate is so high because it is damn near impossible to find a sports car that will fit your golf clubs. Porshes are out, Ferarri is out, don't even think about a Lamborghini and the new Ford GT. Maybe an M3 or the new M%, but those are sports sedans, not pure sports cars. Sure, society says to just drive an SUV but many people don't want to drive an SUV and to be told you have to just because your clubs won't fit in your new Carrera isn't fair and it discriminates against the people who can afford such cars. With society what it is today I am surprised that the suicide rate isn't higher.
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I dunno about you guys, but I can't stand this myth about dentists. I'm gonna make sure that when I'm on my death bed, I'll use my last bit of strength to shoot myself in the head so that I won't be living part of a lie.
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///M5 said:
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///M5 said:
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I am one of the premeds, but I am also a psych major, and the thread caught my eye on the main forum page.///M5 said:
Don't worry about this even if the stat is true. Suicide rates go up for all graduate level students just after graduation. This is an explanation paraphrased from one of the best psych professors at my university: The student after graduation has to go out into the real world where they feel they will no longer have control over their situation. People commit suicide for many reasons, but one of the main ones is because it is their way of controlling their future. The media can give you the wrong idea on a lot of this. Suicide in any situation is still statistically highly improbable. My professor pointed out that there has never been an instance where a KGB agent in the former Soviet Union used one of those suicide pills they had. The pills actually gave them a sense of control over any situation they got into.
So, if you feel like you will not have as much control over your future after graduation, you are right, and some anxiety is normal. If you are feeling excessively overwhelmed by this feeling and it is causing you to have problems in areas of your life, or you are having recurrent suicidal ideations that you are acting on, seek a competent psychologist fast.
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My last boss worked at a bank for 30 years. Forget ferrari's. He owns his own cruise ship. Dentists follow a formula. They do well for playing it safe, but they are no where near the top. Check out this addition of Forbes. See any dentists? Education doesn't always correlate with success. Bill Gates didn't finish college and Richard Branson didn't even finish high school. The key benefit I see to dentistry is security, but nothing in life is guaranteed.
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I took an intro sociology course, and we learned about Durkheims Suicide Theory... very fasinating... but old...
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917).
Here is what he found:
Suicide is linked to social solidarity, how much group cohesion an individual has. He said groups that have either extremely high or low solidaridy will be more prone to suicide.
Low Solidarity -->
He said women will be less likely to committ suicide because they usually network, have friends, are more likely to discuss feelings with people. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to committ suicide, as they have less of a social network to talk to... his data is from start of industrial revolution, where men worked all day, had little social contact, went home to family, felt isolated and alienated from their community... thus, this group had highest suicide rates (in his time).
Certain religious groups (Durkheim studied Jewish community) also have lower suicide rates because of community support found within the group.
How does this relate to dentisty? I would assume dentists would have high social solidarity, because they are constantly around people, talking, communicating, and have network of support within their profession
Thus... according to Durkheim... dentists should not have high suicide rates.
Keep in mind, this is info I got from one class... but interesting. I took this class two years ago... so any sociology/psych majors want to correct me... feel free, my info might not be 100% accurate
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917).
Here is what he found:
Suicide is linked to social solidarity, how much group cohesion an individual has. He said groups that have either extremely high or low solidaridy will be more prone to suicide.
Low Solidarity -->
He said women will be less likely to committ suicide because they usually network, have friends, are more likely to discuss feelings with people. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to committ suicide, as they have less of a social network to talk to... his data is from start of industrial revolution, where men worked all day, had little social contact, went home to family, felt isolated and alienated from their community... thus, this group had highest suicide rates (in his time).
Certain religious groups (Durkheim studied Jewish community) also have lower suicide rates because of community support found within the group.
How does this relate to dentisty? I would assume dentists would have high social solidarity, because they are constantly around people, talking, communicating, and have network of support within their profession
Thus... according to Durkheim... dentists should not have high suicide rates.
Keep in mind, this is info I got from one class... but interesting. I took this class two years ago... so any sociology/psych majors want to correct me... feel free, my info might not be 100% accurate
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dentist_to_be? said:I took an intro sociology course, and we learned about Durkheims Suicide Theory... very fasinating... but old...
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917).
Here is what he found:
Suicide is linked to social solidarity, how much group cohesion an individual has. He said groups that have either extremely high or low solidaridy will be more prone to suicide.
Low Solidarity -->
He said women will be less likely to committ suicide because they usually network, have friends, are more likely to discuss feelings with people. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to committ suicide, as they have less of a social network to talk to... his data is from start of industrial revolution, where men worked all day, had little social contact, went home to family, felt isolated and alienated from their community... thus, this group had highest suicide rates (in his time).
Certain religious groups (Durkheim studied Jewish community) also have lower suicide rates because of community support found within the group.
How does this relate to dentisty? I would assume dentists would have high social solidarity, because they are constantly around people, talking, communicating, and have network of support within their profession
Thus... according to Durkheim... dentists should not have high suicide rates.
Keep in mind, this is info I got from one class... but interesting. I took this class two years ago... so any sociology/psych majors want to correct me... feel free, my info might not be 100% accurate
Every field has its own paradigm, and there is usually truth in all of them. I was a psych major. Depression and suicide are related to helplessness and hoplessness. From a dental perspective, struggling with $500-1 mil debts may indeed be a real problem, which no 'counselling' is likely to solve.
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dentist_to_be? said:
Not really. Compared to a DR working in a hospital setting Dentist in private practice are relatively isolated. You may have a few collegues in your general area that you have lunch with on occasion, but mostly you are on your own.
Although for some there is a sense of belonging to a fraternity(in the larger sense) of dentistry, on the day to day bases one may feel isolated.
This is just a generalization, and it really depends on the individual.
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