Suicide rates for Vets

[MooSuga]

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I was reading a book called "Tell me where it hurts" its written by an animal surgeon. In the book the vet mentioned suicide rates are high for vets. I got curious and googgled it...

Apparently, suicide rates are significantly higher in vets.

"Veterinarians in Australia have one of the highest expected suicide rates among other professions. A study in the Australian Veterinary Journal published by Wiley-Blackwell finds that vets are four times more likely to commit suicide as compared to the general adult population- thus highlighting the need for a thorough investigation into the rate of suicide and its contributing factors. "

Read more: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105081.php


Association of Veterinary Students of Great Britain and Ireland wrote:
As vets, we will see euthanasia as a way to put an animal ‘out of its misery’ and so a vet’s attitude to life is likely to be different to the majority of the population. Sadly, many might therefore consider suicide as a reasonable way to ‘end one’s misery’. Vets also have easy access to drugs and know how to use them effectively. Self-poisoning is the most common method of suicide used by vets.

Read More: http://www.avs-uk.org.uk/javsarticle.asp?name=suicide

 

[mlpbarrett]

WHhaat?!?! I wonder why??! Seriously...... what do you think? 😱

 

[DocDVMD]

I read that book too - loved it! I also thought that was an interesting fact... I would imagine any field where you're faced with ethical dilemmas and decisions to make that affect the outcome of a person's or animal's life would perhaps have an increased rate of suicide. Not to mention it is a stressful career.

 

[Cody and Zip]

I do believe that dentists still have the highest suicide rate of all medical professions, but if I had to work in peoples mouths every day, I might have some twisted thoughts too. I think the previous posts made sense; vets most likely have a pretty pro-euthanasia attitude, and easy access to euthasol. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[mlpbarrett]

I do believe that dentists still have the highest suicide rate of all medical professions, but if I had to work in peoples mouths every day, I might have some twisted thoughts too. I think the previous posts made sense; vets most likely have a pretty pro-euthanasia attitude, and easy access to euthasol. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

haha, seriously? Dentists? haha

 

[WildlifeSaver]

I had no clue we were all going to go psycho one day. 😛

 

[MooSuga]

I too, didn't have any idea about suicide rates in vets. But reading that book and coming across that statement made me curious and research it a bit more.

But it seems more "popular" in Australia and the UK as well. I don't know why but it is an issue vet in the US faces as well.

 

[BodhiBird]

Any of you guys see that article in DVM magazine about a year ago about the vet from Georgia (I think) that almost killed himself? This guy was nuts. He shot himself and then set fire to his clinic and told investigators he got robbed. He injured himself pretty badly and his clinic burned down with like 5 animals in there... 4 of them were his own! Later it came out that he did it himself, apparently to collect on insurance I guess. There was another article at about the same time about a vet who beat up another vet (again I think this is how it went) over some dispute. These articles really shot my idealist glamorous image of vets haha.

To get back to suicide one day at work we were talking about a vet who had killed himself and a vet I work with said (jokingly I believe) that if he were gonna knock himself he'd put euthasol in a fluid bag and just get comfy while the fluids dripped in... good, bad, idea.

 

[fargeese]

I wonder if there is correlation between the number of type A people in the profession, as opposed to other professions? I don't really know, just a thought.

 

[bmichs75DVM]

See that really surpirses me because not to long ago I saw a report saying that veterinarians hold the happiest profession over any other.

 

[Catnapper]

I've actually heard this before (& the dentist bit is almost urban legend, at this point--I think I first heard that one back in the 80's). The profession is often a downer: the human neglect &/or abuse of animals and consequent animal suffering. And presumably, we're all trying to break into this field because we love animals.
Have a great weekend, everybody!!😀

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Just like human doctors, it is the workload that gets to you.

Some small animal community vets can be lucky and work a 50 hour week, but most in big practices or in LA are looking at 70 to 80, spread out over 6 to 7 days. Often more for large animal vets, there is no such thing as a day off.

A equine resident told me that during foaling season he once pulled a 20 hour day, followed by a 22 hour day, followed by another 20 hour day. He got 60 or so minutes of actual sleep in 3 days. The amount of time you have to put into the profession is insane (that is why so many large animal vets go small after a while, burnout...small animal vets have better hours). In australia there is HUGE agriculture so they have a lot of LA vets..I bet that is where the figure is coming from.

 

[AgtOrange]

In addition to the frustrations and challenges of our work, I think it might also have to do with the type of person that goes into the veterinary profession...not that we're all manic-depressive psychos by any means, but most people in this field are more caring and sensitive than the rest of the population. Therefore, even general life events may have a greater impact...

Oh yes, and as the previous poster noted, the bottle of Euthasol is only 30 feet away...

 

[tealamutt]

We had a couple of lectures on stress in the profession and the three things that came up as the main causes for high rates of suicide in vets (and vet students) were the emotional stress, easy access to barbituates, etc. and the basica personality type drawn to medical fields in general. I think all these points were hit upon here but I don't think any one contributes more to the rates than others.

Also, this is important for us vet students to think about and not just in a "wow, that's crazy way" For those of you about to start vet school, try to remember that extreme stress is to be expected and that it is of the utmost importance to seek help when you start feeling depressed. We had two suicides at our school a few years ago and since then WSU has implemented a very available team of mental health professionals dedicated to helping vet students cope.

 

[JustCats]

From Dolittler.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

most people in this field are more caring and sensitive than the rest of the population

That can definitely have an impact, but there is another end of that spectrum as well. Not all people in veterinary medicine are the more caring/sensitive types, just the opposite (and they are needed just as much)

For example, in production medicine, you absolutely have to put a lot of "caring" and "sensitive" feelings aside. Not necessarily unemotional, but you have a very, very thick skin. You need to be comfortable telling that farmer to cull that cow because she'll never produce enough, doing invasive surgery in the field with little analgesia, wrestling that pig down if he won't go down, having to put down entire herds or seeing hundreds die because of disease outbreak, etc. I'm that way, which is why I could never be a small animal practitioner...I'd be matter of factly telling people their dog had cancer and then getting uncomfortable and unable to be truly sympathetic when they get upset. I'm not cold per se, I just don't relate to emotional situations well.

This other personality type (the "thinkers, not feelers" or something along those lines...ESFJ versus INTJ, heh!), despite the "thick skin" is also more predisposed to things like burnout and self harm, because it becomes easy not to care about yourself because you have naturally controlled emotions....as opposed to getting overemotional and overwhelmed as the other half does.

Add in a type A personality (which come on,be honest...most of us have at *least* inklings of that) and it's a delicate recipe.

 

[hopefulvet21]

I don't think vets having high suicide rates is necessarily true. I'm always skeptical of statements like that. A good book to read is "How to Lie With Statistics." I think that may shed some light on things...😉

 

[Beanjamime]

There was an article about that in some Veterinary magazine and they attributed it to the easy access that vets have to euthanization meds.

 

[smm482]

DVM News Magazine published an article about the high rate of suicide among veterinarians sometime last Spring. That was probably where you might have seen it? They cited all the factors you guys have mentioned, mainly attitude about euthanasia, access to drugs, and the insane hours/stress levels of the profession. That whole issue of DVM NM was a bit of a downer actually. They tossed in the suicide rate article with a bunch of editorials on terrible starting salaries and the increasing expense of vet school. It was rather depressing and memorable b/c I'd been up all night on foal watch and was exhausted! It's certainly something to keep in mind, but something we're all well aware of when we choose to go down this path.

 

[equus2013]

My old small animal vet committed suicide a few years back. There was a rumor going around that he was abusing vet drugs and stuff. I still feel so bad about it because I never liked the guy...and he was going through a bunch of stuff apparently.

 

[camcam]

I always thought that Dentist had a high suicide rate, til I came to the discovery that I want to be a veterinarian. I am still unsure how serious I am about it. and the fact that I do battle with depression, post traumatic stress disorder I am a bit concern that if I become a veterinarian or even veterinarian technician that I could fall into that group.

I am hoping with my knowledge of what mental health treatments are out that when I am having a hard time dealing with death on the job I am able to seek the proper mental health professional.

I knwo when my Tonic died in October it was hard on me but when I seeked out support and counseling services things got better dealing with his death.

with the information out there saying that veterinarians have a hide suicide rate, and that they are pet loss support groups, you would think there would be a mental health program to help vet deal with thier post traumatic stress symptoms of seeing death on the job more then average person.

If there isnt one then I might have to make one for vets to handle their job stress. I know how strong the human animal bond is I wish I didn't have to learn it after my cat dying. but as for vet seeking mental help when they need it there should be more resources in place.

They have them for veterans why not veterinarians.

 

[JumpHigherLivie]

I believe those statistics unfortunately.

Compassion fatigue + lonnnggg hours + strings of stupid people where the animal suffers + huge student loan debts + any personal problems that the average person might encounter = depression.

 

[bee83]

I don't think vets having high suicide rates is necessarily true. I'm always skeptical of statements like that. A good book to read is "How to Lie With Statistics." I think that may shed some light on things...😉

I've heard this statement before and I'm also very skeptical. For one thing, this statistic gives us basically NO information about the veterinarians who are offing themselves. For all we know they could be mostly in their late 60s, ailing and getting depressed like the vast majority of the elderly get. Suicide rates sky-rocket once you get into a certain (high) age-bracket. If veterinarians are getting old and feeling the same feelings of despair that most of the aged end up feeling, then yeah it makes sense that they are going to be more likely to take advantage of the resources they have available at their fingertips to ensure a quick and painless death.
I'm not offering that as an explanation, but rather just an example to illustrate that it could be any number of reasons, but without further investigation it's just a generalization that doesn't really mean a whole lot.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

I believe the statistics, too.

I'm betting that temperament is a considerable factor. I mean, if you look at what the adcoms are selecting for, there has got to be a pretty major helping of Type A in the veterinary profession.

With such an obsessive focus on grades, achievement, and "stats", you're bound to end up with a lot of overachievers with a tendency towards perfectionism who aren't accustomed to failure, and may or may not have the world's best coping mechanisms.

Those that don't are going to find themselves in a demanding, high-stress profession where adverse outcomes are a fact of life, and they may not have the resources to deal with that in a healthy way. Throw in financial issues, desensitization, and easy access to lethal means, and I can see where problems could arise.

I'm sure the veterinarian we used when I was younger was an addict of some sort... and he was very clearly dissatisfied with his job. I've seen other vets struggle with alcoholism, I've seen major regrets regarding the decision to pursue a career in vet med, and I've seen some pretty unhealthy responses to poor outcomes.

I buy it.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

I am still unsure how serious I am about it. and the fact that I do battle with depression, post traumatic stress disorder I am a bit concern that if I become a veterinarian or even veterinarian technician that I could fall into that group.

Might be worth doing some shadowing before you commit to preparing for a veterinary career too seriously, if you think that the work environment may potentially be an unhealthy one for you. Another option might be to look into specialties where you would be unlikely/less likely to encounter things that you'd find upsetting.

I think it's a definite positive that you're self-aware and open enough to recognize when there is a problem and seek help. I often wonder how many medical professionals (vets included) find themselves in trouble because they hide their addictions and mental health concerns out of fear that disclosing them and seeking legitimate help could cost them their license or the confidence of patients/clients and colleagues.

 

[sumstorm]

I know a behavioral med (human) MD that is researching what occurs with goal oriented individuals that 'max out' their abilities or hit the peak in their field and can't really go up. We were discussing the vet suicide info, and she said it really made sense to her that folks who have been selected as high achievers would eventually hit a cieling where they didn't feel they were progressing and either burn out (career change) or abandon ship (retire unhappily, quit drasticly, or commit suicide.) She's studying professionals in a variety of fields (med, law, business) and looking at what happens when folks hit a stopping point...ie they been parachuted in business (left a major company with a big enough rep that they can't get rehired), are unable to make any additional headway in medicine, or have tried the toughest cases in law but can't get the same types of cases again (name-makers) and has found a trend towards suicidal behaviors and increases in high risk behaviors and unexplained incidents (small plane crashes, unexpected single car lethal wrecks.)

 

[chris03333]

haha, seriously? Dentists? haha

Tons of people are very fearful of dentist...to the point that the dentist has to proscribe anxiolytics to the patient before they can come in. It is easy to see how that could be depressing (many of your patients fear you).

 

[BlacKAT33]

I know a behavioral med (human) MD that is researching what occurs with goal oriented individuals that 'max out' their abilities or hit the peak in their field and can't really go up. We were discussing the vet suicide info, and she said it really made sense to her that folks who have been selected as high achievers would eventually hit a cieling where they didn't feel they were progressing and either burn out (career change) or abandon ship (retire unhappily, quit drasticly, or commit suicide.) She's studying professionals in a variety of fields (med, law, business) and looking at what happens when folks hit a stopping point...ie they been parachuted in business (left a major company with a big enough rep that they can't get rehired), are unable to make any additional headway in medicine, or have tried the toughest cases in law but can't get the same types of cases again (name-makers) and has found a trend towards suicidal behaviors and increases in high risk behaviors and unexplained incidents (small plane crashes, unexpected single car lethal wrecks.)

We had a lecturer last semester who talked about this!! The guy was amazing. He wasn't even a DVM but a business man who just knows a lot about our profession. Once he said this I thought to myself, "omg, he's right, what happens after ive been working for 5 yrs and cant move up anywhere?!?!" ive just never thought that there would be a time where there is not a goal to strive for still to move up the ladder

 

[sumstorm]

We had a lecturer last semester who talked about this!! The guy was amazing. He wasn't even a DVM but a business man who just knows a lot about our profession. Once he said this I thought to myself, "omg, he's right, what happens after ive been working for 5 yrs and cant move up anywhere?!?!" ive just never thought that there would be a time where there is not a goal to strive for still to move up the ladder

What her preliminary work suggests is that individuals who set parrallel CE goals and goals external to work life cope far better. IE the MD that always wants to learn something new (Ultrasound, laser, holistic med, fish, sports med, business, etc) feel more satisfied with their work, even if they don't feel like they are achieving as much as they would like, andthe JD that has a passionate hobby such as Century competitions, or dog agility, or skiing, or costume design do not feel as down about stalling out at work. The most successful do both. Of course, that is prelim...she's still crunching data and tracking down info.

 

[Minnerbelle]

As for vet suicide rates, how much work has been done recently on American vets? I know the stats are very grim for the UK and Australia, but I haven't seen much about here. Is it statistically higher than other health fields or professions?

I thought a big part of the UK and Australian systems was that students go straight from high school without knowing exactly what vet med was about. Not bashing the system, 'cause there are lots of merits to it as well. But the way it's done here, most students have to be damn sure they want to become vets before getting into vet school. Also, I dunno about the UK, but it looks like Australia is waaaaaay over saturated with vets, which makes it very difficult. Though there are issues (esp recently) here about schools expanding enrollment too much to protect future new grads, it hasn't been as much of an issue.

I could be totally off, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but that was my understanding until now...

 

[New Foundland]

I don't think vets having high suicide rates is necessarily true. I'm always skeptical of statements like that. A good book to read is "How to Lie With Statistics." I think that may shed some light on things...😉

👍
I interpret this statement as meaning more than just "the stats are inaccurate".

Though I think there are potential factors overlooked, and regional figures (UK, Aus) used to draw generalizations to all vets, there's clearly evidence to suggest that most medical professions bring with them increased suicide rates..

Presenting the statistics however, you see the journalist's favourite statistical tool, the relative risk increase/decrease..
One always should be skeptical when looking at relative risk figures of unlikely events.
E.g. "You are 80% less likely to die from a meteor landing on your head if you wear a bicycle helmet all day."

Just because for your demographic a bad event is two or three times likelier than an unlikely event, that should not lead you to panic, flip over the table, and concede that there's no use in trying because the game is rigged.

In the general population, males are four times as likely as females to commit suicide..
Does that mean as a male I should worry about my future?

No, always know when you're being fed an inflated relative risk number for journalistic purposes.

Researchers found that in the group taking rosuvastatin, heart attack risk was down by 54%

👍

On placebo, your risk of a heart attack in the trial was 0.37 events per 100 person years, and if you were taking rosuvastatin, it fell to 0.17 events per 100 person years. 0.37 to 0.17.

👎

Recommended reading: Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, specifically the chapter on statistics

 

[kaydubs]

I know a behavioral med (human) MD that is researching what occurs with goal oriented individuals that 'max out' their abilities or hit the peak in their field and can't really go up. We were discussing the vet suicide info, and she said it really made sense to her that folks who have been selected as high achievers would eventually hit a cieling where they didn't feel they were progressing and either burn out (career change) or abandon ship (retire unhappily, quit drasticly, or commit suicide.) She's studying professionals in a variety of fields (med, law, business) and looking at what happens when folks hit a stopping point...ie they been parachuted in business (left a major company with a big enough rep that they can't get rehired), are unable to make any additional headway in medicine, or have tried the toughest cases in law but can't get the same types of cases again (name-makers) and has found a trend towards suicidal behaviors and increases in high risk behaviors and unexplained incidents (small plane crashes, unexpected single car lethal wrecks.)

Hm...sumstorm, if you hear more about this study, let me know please! It sounds very interesting.

I often wonder how many medical professionals (vets included) find themselves in trouble because they hide their addictions and mental health concerns out of fear that disclosing them and seeking legitimate help could cost them their license or the confidence of patients/clients and colleagues.

This is very sad, but so true, CT 🙁

I always thought that Dentist had a high suicide rate, til I came to the discovery that I want to be a veterinarian. I am still unsure how serious I am about it. and the fact that I do battle with depression, post traumatic stress disorder I am a bit concern that if I become a veterinarian or even veterinarian technician that I could fall into that group.

I am hoping with my knowledge of what mental health treatments are out that when I am having a hard time dealing with death on the job I am able to seek the proper mental health professional.

Camcam, you make excellent points. As long as you're set on vet medicine, stay positive! Best of luck 😀

 

[sunshinevet]

As for vet suicide rates, how much work has been done recently on American vets? I know the stats are very grim for the UK and Australia, but I haven't seen much about here. Is it statistically higher than other health fields or professions?

I thought a big part of the UK and Australian systems was that students go straight from high school without knowing exactly what vet med was about. Not bashing the system, 'cause there are lots of merits to it as well. But the way it's done here, most students have to be damn sure they want to become vets before getting into vet school. Also, I dunno about the UK, but it looks like Australia is waaaaaay over saturated with vets, which makes it very difficult. Though there are issues (esp recently) here about schools expanding enrollment too much to protect future new grads, it hasn't been as much of an issue.

I could be totally off, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but that was my understanding until now...

Australia isn't oversaturated with vets... yet... However, we have had an increase from 4 vet schools to 7 in a VERY short space of time. For a long time, we have had a severe vet shortage in regional and rural areas, and the new schools are meant to combat that, though different selection criterea. Though, personally, I dont think they needed more schools, just needed to rearrange the admissions process, but Oh well...

At the same time though, we do atleast 5 years of schooling (at Melbourne its now up to 7 years... dont get me started!), and in that you do a full year of rotations with your uni, plus 1.5-2 months of work experience of farms in your holidays, plus around 3-4 months of rotating at clinics (not affiliated with the hospital, but essential) in your holidays. This is excluding the fact that most vet students will pick up work at clinics etc at some time in their schooling. So even if they go into the degree with not much of a clue of the industry, its not like they will graduate and enter their first day of a "real" clinic entirely clueless. Also, stats have shown that those people who arent sure they want to be vets will leave before the degree is over, or leave in their first 5 years of practice.

Whenever we talk about it, that does come up as a factor for the high suicide rates. We have it regularly drummed into us about all the statistics, and how to achieve a good work life balance and seek help if we need it etc - lectures on it nearly every week! But other things are also recognised as factors - long working hours, poor numeration, lack of respect from the public, animal abuse/neglect, conflict with clients etc. Though personally, I think the suicide rate may have jumped when the tv show "Bondi Vet" started screening... worst vet tv show. Ever.

I don't think vets having high suicide rates is necessarily true. I'm always skeptical of statements like that. A good book to read is "How to Lie With Statistics." I think that may shed some light on things...😉

There is a huge suicide rate. It is true. To the the point that there was a full scale inquiry done by the AVA and the vet schools to try and figure it out and put in place measures to bring the rate down. Many vet schools have changed their admissions criterea. All of them now have a "life skills" type class where we learn about communication, self help, how to achieve a work life balance etc. The schools take it very seriously, and it is extremely important that they do. A study found that over a 10 year period, out of all the vets who died in Western Australia, 20% of them died through committing suicide. You can't argue with that statistic. Given the general public dies through suicide at a rate of <1%, that is HUGE. For us, it is a very serious issue, and one that the vet schools and the AVA are working hard on.

 

[Nissan]

Has anyone heard that isolation is one of the factors associated with higher rates of suicide within the veterinary profession? Not exactly sure how true it is, but it's something that stuck with me when I heard it. According to what I ... vaguely remember ( 😛), vets going into small / solo practices were at higher risk because they had no peers to talk to, and even in large practices, with the way the dynamics of the workplace is, it was easy to be isolated within one room or wing regardless of how many doctors were on staff.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

Has anyone heard that isolation is one of the factors associated with higher rates of suicide within the veterinary profession? Not exactly sure how true it is, but it's something that stuck with me when I heard it. According to what I ... vaguely remember ( 😛), vets going into small / solo practices were at higher risk because they had no peers to talk to, and even in large practices, with the way the dynamics of the workplace is, it was easy to be isolated within one room or wing regardless of how many doctors were on staff.

This is something I wondered about when the subject came up elsewhere in another thread. I have noticed that the vets I know who work solo appear to be significantly less pleased with their work situation than those that work in group practices. (Anecdotal evidence, I know, and potentially meaningless... but it has given me pause for thought regarding how I'd prefer to practice.) I know I'd fare better with a few peers to de-stress, converse, and discuss difficult cases with.

If there is some correlation between practice type and risk, though, I'd wonder if it had more to do with the isolation itself, or with other factors that might influence one's decision to work in a more isolating environment.

 

[bbeventer]

most people in this field are more caring and sensitive than the rest of the population


I'd be matter of factly telling people their dog had cancer and then getting uncomfortable and unable to be truly sympathetic when they get upset. I'm not cold per se, I just don't relate to emotional situations well.

Wow I am glad I am not the only person like that!

As far as the suicides go, I wonder if the financial burden of debt and the harsh realization that paying it off amongst other financial responsibilities is a factor?

 

[NStarz]

Wow I am glad I am not the only person like that!

As far as the suicides go, I wonder if the financial burden of debt and the harsh realization that paying it off amongst other financial responsibilities is a factor?

I'm honestly the complete opposite. I will probably start breaking down in tears with the owners.

 

[david594]

Has anyone heard that isolation is one of the factors associated with higher rates of suicide within the veterinary profession? Not exactly sure how true it is, but it's something that stuck with me when I heard it. According to what I ... vaguely remember ( 😛), vets going into small / solo practices were at higher risk because they had no peers to talk to, and even in large practices, with the way the dynamics of the workplace is, it was easy to be isolated within one room or wing regardless of how many doctors were on staff.

I would wonder if it has more to do with these vets essentially betting their entire life on the success of the practice. They have no separation work and life so if business is bad it can ruin them financially.

 

[kitty613]

In addition to the frustrations and challenges of our work, I think it might also have to do with the type of person that goes into the veterinary profession...not that we're all manic-depressive psychos by any means.

I am actually quite offended my your remark. Obviously, you don't have adequate knowledge about psychological disorders; otherwise you wouldn't make such a stereotypical remark. There are lots of manic-depressive people out there (vets, dentists, teachers, etc) that are able to hold down normal jobs and function very well in society.

 

[natalieises]

They actually built in an entire lecture during out orientation to tell us about vets and suicide rates. As morbid as it sounds, it would be very easy and painless to commit suicide with the access of euthanasia solution.

Plus, as vets you are putting a lot of patients to sleep, which takes an emotional toll.

 

[camcam]

I am actually quite offended my your remark. Obviously, you don't have adequate knowledge about psychological disorders; otherwise you wouldn't make such a stereotypical remark. There are lots of manic-depressive people out there (vets, dentists, teachers, etc) that are able to hold down normal jobs and function very well in society.

AgtOrange looks like you didn't really read my post oh well I am not going to get into the details and levels of depession and other mental illness. the topic has already hit enough of my nerves already. I am going to try and keep things light and hopefully less emotional.

but if there are soo many statics and reports on proffesion that have high suicide rates you would think people would make a more of an effort to make this less of a high number for someone to have their name written in a paper for some stat report.

Stress, mental is hard enough being put into labels and profiles of what a person is or isn't. people who go into helping professions are giving so much of themselves to others they are getting very little back and you don't thin one day they might snap from it.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

I am actually quite offended my your remark. Obviously, you don't have adequate knowledge about psychological disorders; otherwise you wouldn't make such a stereotypical remark. There are lots of manic-depressive people out there (vets, dentists, teachers, etc) that are able to hold down normal jobs and function very well in society.

👍

AgtOrange looks like you didn't really read my post oh well I am not going to get into the details and levels of depession and other mental illness. the topic has already hit enough of my nerves already. I am going to try and keep things light and hopefully less emotional.

AgtOrange's post wasn't directed at you personally. It was posted back in 2009. Someone resurrected an older thread. 🙂

 

[twelvetigers]

Yeah, you can't really get mad at someone who hasn't posted on the forum since August 2009. 😉

 

[camcam]

Yeah, you can't really get mad at someone who hasn't posted on the forum since August 2009. 😉

I am not mad at anyone directly. I am just a bit annoyed of how they throw out these reports and forget its about peoples lives

 

[New Foundland]

AgtOrange looks like you didn't really read my post

The space-time continuum is to blame for this

 

[Saffine]

Plenty of academic articles on how vets have higher suicide rates than dentists, see pubmed:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=veterinarian stress suicides

or
USA Today Veterinary Suicide
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2010-04-02-dolittler02_ST_N.htm

 

[New Foundland]

Plenty of academic articles on how vets have higher suicide rates than dentists, see pubmed:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=veterinarian stress suicides

When you make a specific claim such as "vets have higher suicide rates than dentists", its common courtesy to link to an actual article... Not a mere pubmed search on veterinarian suicides..

Try again please

 

[twelvetigers]

This thread was bumped nearly one year to the day. I was confused for a minute...

 

[jemappellejane]

Has anyone heard that isolation is one of the factors associated with higher rates of suicide within the veterinary profession? Not exactly sure how true it is, but it's something that stuck with me when I heard it. According to what I ... vaguely remember ( 😛), vets going into small / solo practices were at higher risk because they had no peers to talk to, and even in large practices, with the way the dynamics of the workplace is, it was easy to be isolated within one room or wing regardless of how many doctors were on staff.

I had an interview this weekend with an SGU alum at his clinic where he works and LIVES. (There is a house attached to the clinic). Funny, he started out the interview with a statement about how high veterinary suicide rates are. Such a coincidence... or IS it?? 🙄

 

[Saffine]

They are all relevantant articles. The second one down by Platt is a review of all studies which shows the risk is at least three times the normal population. In the UK it was shown to be four times in the Bartram Veterinary Record article which analyses death certificates.