Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T17:59:04.105Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Systematic Review on Gender-Specific Suicide Mortality in Medical Doctors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Sari Lindeman ,
Esa Läärä ,
Helinä Hakko  and
Jouko Lönnqvist
Sari Lindeman*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry
Esa Läärä
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Science and General Practice
Helinä Hakko
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oulu
Jouko Lönnqvist
Affiliation:
National Public Health Institute, Department of Mental Health, Helsinki, Finland
*
Sari Lindeman, University of Oulu, Department of Psychiatry, Kajaanintie 43, 90220 Oulu, Finland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

So far no comprehensive systematic review has been published about epidemiologic studies on suicides among medical practitioners. The aim here is to describe the variation of published estimates of relative risk of doctors to die from suicide.

Method

A systematic review of published original articles on population-based studies, registered mainly in MEDLINE and fulfilling specific methodological requirements. Incidence rates and standardised mortality ratios were calculated for male and female doctors in relation to the reference groups.

Results

The estimated relative risk varied from 1.1 to 3.4 in male doctors, and from 2.5 to 5.7 in female doctors, respectively as compared with the general population, and from 1.5 to 3.8 in males and from 3.7 to 4.5 in females, respectively, as compared with other professionals. The crude suicide mortality rate was about the same in male and female doctors.

Conclusion

In all studies the suicide rates among doctors were higher than those in the general population and among other academic occupational groups.

Type
Review Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 168 , Issue 3 , March 1996 , pp. 274 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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

Arnetz, B. B., Hórte, L. G., Hedberg, A., et al (1987) Suicide patterns among physicians related to other academics as well as to the general population. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 75, 139–143.Google Scholar
Bämayr, A. & Feuerlein, W. (1986) Suicidhäufigkeit bei Ärzten und Zahnärzten in Oberbayern. Social Psychiatry, 21, 39–48.Google Scholar
Bedeian, A. G. (1982) Suicide and occupation: a review. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 21, 206–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borgan, J. K. & Kristofersen, L. B. (1986) Mortality by occupation and socioeconomic group in Norway 1970–1980. Statistiske analyser 56. Statistik Sentralbyrå, Oslo.Google Scholar
Breslow, N. E. & Day, N. E. (1987) Statistical Methods in Cancer Research, Volume III – The Design and Analysis of Cohort Studies. IARC Scientific Publications No 82, Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer.Google Scholar
British Medical Association (1993) The Morbidity and Mortality of the Medical Profession. London: BMA.Google Scholar
Dean, G. (1969) The causes of death of South African doctors and dentists. South African Medical Journal, 26, 495–500.Google Scholar
Dickersin, K., Scherer, R. & Lefebvre, C. (1994) Identifying relevant studies for systematic reviews. British Medical Journal, 309, 1286–1291.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Editorial (1994) Burnished or burnt out: the delights and dangers of working in health. Lancet, 344, 1583–1584.Google Scholar
Farberow, N. L. (1971) Bibliography on Suicide and Suicide Prevention 1897–1957 and 1958–1970. National Institute of Mental Health, Helsinki.Google Scholar
Harris, E.C. & Barraclough, B. M. (1994) Suicide as an outcome for medical disorders. Medicide, 73, 281–296.Google ScholarPubMed
Lindhardt, M., Frandsen, E., Hamtoft, H., et al (1963) Causes of death among the medical profession in Denmark. Danish Medical Bulletin, 10, 59–64.Google Scholar
News (1994) Doctors are more miserable than ever, says report. British Medical Journal, 309, 1529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nordentoft, M. (1988) Selvmord blandt læger. Ugeskrift for Lager, 150, 2440–2443.Google Scholar
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1986) Occupational Mortality 1979–80, 1982–83 decennial supplement. Part I, Commentary. Series DS No. 6. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1986) Occupational Mortality 1979–80, 1982–83, decennial supplement. Part II, Microfiche tables. Series DS No. 6. HMSO, London.Google Scholar
Revicki, D. A. & May, H. J. (1985) Physician suicide in North Carolina. Southern Medical Journal, 78, 1205–1207.Google Scholar
Richings, J. C., Khara, G. S. & McDowell, M. (1986) Suicide in young doctors. British Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 475–478.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rimpelä, A. H., Nurminen, M. M., Pulkkinen, P. O., et al (1987) Mortality of doctors: do doctors benefit from their medical knowledge. Lancet, 10, 84–86.Google Scholar
Rose, K. D. & Rosow, I. (1973) Physicians who kill themselves. Archives of General Psychiatry, 29, 800–805.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roy, A. & Linnoila, M. (1986) Alcoholism and suicide. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 16, 244–273.Google Scholar
Rucinski, J. & Cybulska, E. (1985) Mentally ill doctors. British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 33, 90–94.Google Scholar
Schlicht, S. M., Gordon, I. R., Ball, J. R., et al (1990) Suicide and related deaths in Victorian doctors. Medical Journal of Australia, 153, 518–521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stefansson, C. G. & Wicks, S. (1991) Health care occupations and suicide in Sweden 1961–1985. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 26, 259–264.Google Scholar
Steppacher, R. C. & Mausner, J. S. (1974) Suicide in male and female physicians. Journal of the American Medical Association, 228, 323–328.Google Scholar
Ullmann, D., Phillips, R. L., Beeson, L., et al (1991) Cause-specific mortality among physicians with differing life-styles. Journal of the American Medical Association, 265, 2352–2359.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.