Suicide rates among female doctors are significantly higher than for average folks Male doctors have average suicide rates, but are at higher risk than other professionals Nonetheless, overall suicide rates for physicians have declined over time THURSDAY, Aug. 22, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- rates among female doctors are significantly higher than those of the general population, a new study finds. Female doctors have a 76% higher suicide risk than average folks, researchers found.
Male doctors had about the same suicide risk as the general public, but they still had an 81% higher risk of suicide compared to other professionals, according to results published Aug. 21 in the . “Suicide rate ratios for physicians appear to have decreased over time, but are still increased for female physicians,” concluded the research team led by , an epidemiologist with the Harvard T.
H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. Doctors are considered a profession at high risk for suicide, researchers said in background notes.
It’s estimated that one doctor dies by suicide every day in the United States, and around one every 10 days in the U.K., researchers said.
A 2004 analysis found a higher overall risk of death for both male and female physicians, driven in part by higher suicide rates, researchers noted. For this new review, researchers analyzed data gathered in 39 studies from 20 countries between 1935 and 2020. A separate analysis of the 10 most recent studies showed a decline in suicid.