A surprising report from Reuters found that a large number of U.S. surgeons and physicians have struggled with thoughts of suicide, listing burnout and medical errors as possible reasons. The healthcare industry is particularly at risk for employee depression. For those who work in the industry, or are looking for a job in healthcare, mental health issues are a top concern.
The report stated that a research team at the Mayo clinic found that more than 6 percent of surgeons had thoughts of killing themselves within the past year. And what's more, the rate of suicidal thoughts for surgeons between the ages of 55-64 was three times higher.
The report cited a high amount of stress and burnout among physicians as one of the leading cause of these serious consequences for the surgeons and their patience. Although suicidal thoughts don't necessarily endanger patients, the burnout, stress and emotional turmoil can effect the quality of care that patient receive.
One of the biggest problems that faces people in the medical profession who are concerned about depression and having suicidal thoughts is that they often are hesitant to seek treatment, out of fear of losing their medical license. So, they either opt to deal with it themselves or to ask a colleague to prescribe anti-depressants for them. The report showed that only a fourth of doctors who had these types of thoughts sought any sort of help.
It has long been known that people in the healthcare industry have greater risks of depression and suicide than other professions, but the root cause has never been fully understood. If you or someone close to you seems to be struggling with stress or depression, here are some signs (courtesy of WebMd) you should watch out for:
- deep sadness
- loss of interest in things the previously enjoyed
- trouble sleeping and eating
- making comments about being hopeless
- thinking and talking about death
- risk taking behavior
- saying things like “it would be better if I wasn't here.”
If you see several of these signs, it may be time to take the person aside and ask them how they are feeling. Let them know that depression is an illness, not a defect. Make sure that they know that you care about them and encourage them to get help, to get treatment and to not believe the lies that depression will tell them about how much easier it would be if they just ended it all. Depression is a sickness, just like diabetes or high blood pressure. It can cause all sorts of bad things to happen in your body, but it is not brought on by your own weakness. It can be treated and managed. It doesn't have to be a death sentence.
Have you ever dealt with depression or had a loved one suffer with it? What do you think helped the most? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Are you looking for a job in Healthcare? Be sure to visit HealthcareJobSite.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobSiteBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
