A study suggests medical errors, job burnout and depression lead surgeons to contemplate suicide at higher rates than the general public, and they're much less likely to seek help.
Fear of losing their jobs contributes to surgeons' reluctance to get mental health treatment, according to the study in which nearly 8,000 surgeons participating.
About 6 per cent reported recent suicidal thoughts; the rate was 16 per cent among those who had recently made a major medical error although it was not known if that was the reason.
Only about one-fourth of those with suicidal thoughts said they had sought professional mental health. By contrast, among the general population, about 3 per cent have suicidal thoughts and 44 per cent of them seek mental health treatment, other studies have shown.
The study appears in the January issue of Archives of Surgery. It was commissioned by the American College of Surgeons and surveyed members of that group by e-mail. Answers were anonymous.
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