Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-20T04:29:26.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts among Norwegian physicians. Results from a cross-sectional survey of a nationwide sample

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

E. Hem ,
N.T. Grønvold ,
O.G. Aasland  and
Ø. Ekeberg
E. Hem
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo,Norway
N.T. Grønvold
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo,Norway
O.G. Aasland
Affiliation:
The Research Institute, The Norwegian Medical Association, and Centre for Health Administration, University of Oslo, Norway
Ø. Ekeberg*
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo,Norway
*
*Correspondence and reprints: Erlend Hem, Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo, Box 1111 Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway
Get access

Summary

Physicians have a higher suicide rate than the general population or other academics. Little is known about the reasons for this. Analysing risk factors may be a valuable way of identifying reasons for the high suicide rate among physicians, thereby leading to preventive efforts. The present study is one of the first papers on suicidal thoughts and attempts among physicians. A questionnaire about suicidal thoughts (developed by E.S. Paykel) was completed by 1,063 of 1,476 active Norwegian physicians (72%). Lifetime prevalence ranged from 51.1% for feelings that life was not worth living to 1.6% for a suicide attempt. Risk factors were being female, living alone, and depression. Suicidal thoughts, however, were hardly attributed to working conditions. A high rate of suicide and a low rate of suicidal attempts support the hypothesis that physicians do not ‘cry for help,' but are inclined to act out their suicidal impulses.

Keywords

medical specialtyNorwayphysiciansrisk factorssuicidal ideationsuicide attempt
Type
Original Article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , May 2000 , pp. 183 - 189
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aasland, O.G.Ekeberg, Ø.Schweder, T.Suicide rates from 1960 to 1989 in Norwegian physicians compared with other educational groups Soc Sci M 00 1900Google Scholar
Aasland, O.GOlff, MFalkum, ESchweder, TUrsin, HHealth complaints and job stress in Norwegian physicians: the use of an overlapping questionnaire design Soc Sci M 45 1997 1615–1629CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnetz, B.B.Hörte, L.G.Hedberg, A.Theorell, T.Allander, E.Malker, H.Suicide patterns among physicians related to other academics as well as to the general population. Results from a national long-term prospective study and a retrospective study Acta Psychiatr Scand 75 1987 139–143CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bergman, J.The suicide rate among psychiatrists revisited Suicide Life Threat Behav 9 1979 219–226CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boxer, P.A.Burnett, C.Swanson, N.Suicide and occupation: a review of the literature J Occup Environ M 37 1995 442–452CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carpenter, L.M.Swerdlow, A.J.Fear, N.T.Mortality of doctors in different specialties: findings from a cohort of 20,000 NHS hospital consultants Occup Environ M 54 1997 388–395CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diekstra, R.F.The epidemiology of suicide and parasuicide Acta Psychiatr Scand 371 Suppl 1993 9–20CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diekstra, R.F.Garnefski, N.On the nature, magnitude, and causality of suicidal behaviors: an international perspective Suicide Life Threat Behav 25 1995 36–57Google Scholar
Frank, E.Dingle, A.D.Self-reported depression and suicide attempts among U. S. women physicians Am J Psychiatry 156 1999 1887–1894Google ScholarPubMed
Goldberg, D.Williams, P.A user's guide to the general health questionnaire WindsorNFER-Nelson 1988Google Scholar
Goldney, R.D.Smith, S.Winefield, A.H.Tiggeman, M.Winefield, H.R.Suicidal ideation: its enduring nature and associated morbidity Acta Psychiatr Scand 83 1991 115–120CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hall, A.Harrington, J.M.Aw, T.C.Mortality study of British pathologists Am J Ind M 20 1991 83–89CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hällström, T.Life-weariness, suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts among women in Gothenburg, Sweden Acta Psychiatr Scand 56 1977 15–20CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hjelmeland, H.Bjerke, T.Parasuicide in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. General epidemiology and psychological factors Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 31 1996 272–283Google ScholarPubMed
Juel, K.Mosbech, J.Hansen, E.S.Mortality and causes of death among Danish medical doctors 1973-1992 Int J Epidemiol 28 1999 456–460CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lamberts, H.Wood, M.Hofmans-OkkesI, eds. I, eds.The international classification of primary care in the European community OxfordOxford Medical Publications 1993Google Scholar
Lindeman, S.Läärä, EHakko, H.Lönnqvist, J.A systematic review on gender-specific suicide mortality in medical doctors Br J Psychiatry 168 1996 274–279CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lindeman, S.Läärä, E.Vuori, E.Lönnqvist, J.Suicides among physicians, engineers and teachers: the prevalence of reported depression, admissions to hospital and contributory causes of death Acta Psychiatr Scand 96 1997 68–71CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Madianos, M.G.Madianou-Gefou, D.Stefanis, C.N.Changes in suicidal behavior among nation-wide general population samples across Greece Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 243 1993 171–178CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Neil, H.A.Fairer, J.G.Coleman, M.P.Thurston, A.Vessey, M.P.Mortality among male anaesthetists in the United Kingdom, 1957-83 BMJ 295 1987 360–362CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nordentoft, M.Mogensen, K.Engsig, A.Winther, A.Johansson, M.Rønde, B. et al. Danske underordnede lægers arbejds- og livsvilkår. (Working and living conditions of Danish medical assistant – in Danish) Nord M 106 1991 279–284Google Scholar
Olkinuora, M.Asp, S.Juntunen, J.Kauttu, K.Strid, L.Äärimaa, M.Stress symptoms, burnout and suicidal thoughts in Finnish physicians Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 25 1990 81–86Google ScholarPubMed
Paykel, E.S.Myers, J.K.Lindenthal, J.J.Tanner, J.Suicidal feelings in the general population Br J Psychiatry 124 1974 460–469CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Retterstøl, N.Selvmord (Suicide – in Norwegian) OsloUniversitetsforlaget 1995Google Scholar
Rich, C.L.Pitts, F.N. JrSuicide by psychiatrists: a study of medical specialists among 18, 730 consecutive physician deaths during a five-year period, 1967-72 J Clin Psychiatry 41 1980 261–263Google ScholarPubMed
Roy, A.Suicide in doctors Psychiatr Clin North Am 8 1985 377–387CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sveriges läkarförbund, Läkares arbetsmiljö: en rapport från Läkarförbundets arbetsmiljögrupp. (Physicians' working conditions: a report from the occupational health group of the Swedish Medical Association – in Swedish) StockholmSveriges läkarförbund 1988Google Scholar
Torgersen, S.Hereditary-environmental differentiation of general neurotic, obsessive, and impulsive hysterical personality traits Acta Genet Med Gemellol 29 1980 193–207CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ursin, H.Endresen, I.M.Ursin, G.Psychological factors and self-reports of muscle pain Eur J Appl Physiol 57 1988 282–290CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Warr, P.Cook, J.Wall, T.Scales for the measurement of some work attitudes and aspects of psychological well-being J Occup Psychol 52 1979 129–148CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.