Are anaesthetists prone to suicide? A review of rates and risk factors

Suicide represents a major source of mortality in Western countries. There is an emerging literature about suicide and the medical profession. The suicide of an anaesthetist represents a catastrophic event, with painful consequences for family, colleagues and the community at large. This review will...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anaesthesia and intensive care 2003-08, Vol.31 (4), p.434-445
Main Authors: SWANSON, S. P, ROBERTS, L. J, CHAPMAN, M. D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Anesthesia
Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy
Anesthesiology
Australia - epidemiology
Biological and medical sciences
Confidence Intervals
Depression
Epidemiologic Methods
Female
Humans
Male
Marital Status
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Physicians - psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Risk Factors
Sex Distribution
Suicide
Suicide - psychology
Suicide - statistics & numerical data
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Suicide represents a major source of mortality in Western countries. There is an emerging literature about suicide and the medical profession. The suicide of an anaesthetist represents a catastrophic event, with painful consequences for family, colleagues and the community at large. This review will examine the literature regarding suicide amongst anaesthetists and trainees in the field. It is presented in three sections. First, it provides an overview of existing epidemiological data, comparing rates in the general population, the medical profession, in general, and in anaesthesia, in particular. Second, risk factors that may account for differences in rates will be discussed. Finally, a series of recommendations has been formulated.
ISSN:0310-057X
1448-0271
DOI:10.1177/0310057x0303100413