Female Physicians Have Significantly Increased Suicide Rates

MONDAY, Aug. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Compared with the general population, female physicians appear to have a significantly increased suicide rate ratio, according to a review published online Aug. 21 in The BMJ.

Claudia Zimmermann, from the Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published between 1960 and March 31, 2024, to estimate age-standardized suicide rate ratios in male and female physicians compared to the general population. Eligible studies were observational with directly or indirectly age-standardized mortality ratios for physician deaths by suicide, or suicide rates per 100,000 person-years of physicians and a reference group similar to the general population, or data suitable for calculating ratios. Of the 39 included studies, 38 studies for male physicians and 26 for female physicians were eligible for analyses.

The researchers found 3,303 suicides were reported among male physicians and 587 among female physicians. The suicide rate ratio across all studies was 1.05 for male physicians (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.90 to 1.22); for female physicians, the rate ratio was 1.76 (95 percent CI, 1.40 to 2.21). High heterogeneity was seen for both analyses. A significant effect was seen for the midpoint of the study observation period, indicating a reduction in effect sizes over time. For male physicians versus other professions, the suicide rate ratio was 1.81 (95 percent CI, 1.55 to 2.12).

"This study highlights the ongoing need for suicide prevention measures among physicians," the authors write. "We found evidence for increased suicide rates in female physicians compared with the general population, and for male physicians compared with other professionals."

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial