A webinar on physician suicide (scope of problem and evaluating data)

Too often, depressed physicians who struggle with employment or other problems end up committing suicide. We need to do a better job identifying these physicians and providing them with resources and help. Physicians who lose their ability to practice medicine (due to medical licensure revocation or other issues) can be very vulnerable to depression and suicidal ideation. Many are not even thinking about non-clinical career opportunities because they are not aware of the possibilities.

There is an upcoming webinar from the AMA focusing on the topic of Physician Suicide: What is the Scope of the Problem and What Does the Data Show?

This event will examine the following:

• What has the data shown as to the extent of the problem?
• Are suicides committed by physicians and physicians-in-training comparable to those in other professions?
• What are the current gaps in research on physician suicide?
• What are some best practices and model programs for suicide prevention that can be replicated by others?

Date: Wed, Sep 7, 2011
Time: 12:00 PM CDT
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Host(s): Sonja Boone MD

10 Careers With High Rates of Depression

Those of us who work in the health care industry need to remember that workers in the health care industry have some of the highest rates of depression. Why is this the case? Why do physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, therapists, surgeons, and other health care professionals struggle with depression?

Here are some of the reasons why:

• High-risk and high-stress occupations (when you have a person's life in your hands, that's a lot of stress)
• Long work hours (how do you like those 12-hr shifts?)
• Irregular sleep patterns (especially for medical and surgical interns and residents)
• Social isolation (because you are simply too busy all the time)
• Dealing with sickness and death (whether you work in the ICU or in a hospice facility, you're dealing with sickness and death all the time)
  

Here's a snippet from a Health.com article titled, "10 Careers With High Rates of Depression."

“There are certain aspects of any job that can contribute to or exacerbate depression,” says Deborah Legge, PhD, a licensed mental health counselor in Buffalo. "Folks with the high-stress jobs have a greater chance of managing it if they take care of themselves and get the help they need.”

Depression can lead physicians and other health care professionals to make poor decisions. Some get involved with alcohol and substance abuse. Others may fall victim to other types of addictions. Some pursue dangerous outlets to escape their depression. Others feel trapped and disabled.

The AMA/CMA/BMA International Conference on Physician Health 2010 is happening this week. If you suspect that you may be struggling with depression, make sure to seek professional help.