Physician suicide continues to be a growing topic in the news. Check out the must read article, "Why Do Doctors Have Such A High Rate of Suicide?" by Danielle Ofri, which suggests the medical environment may be at the core of the startling rates of physician suicide (1 per day in the United States). As the author eloquently describes, "medicine is a tyranny of perfection", and though the quest for perfection is one the medical culture and our healthcare systems expect, it is a goal that is often unrealistic and unattainable, and one that can lead to stress, burnout, and an array of mental health problems.
"To feel that you are falling short, every day, saps the spirit of even the most dedicated of physicians. We feel as though we have been set up to fail. Even when we do manage to preserve the joy of connecting with patients and helping improve lives, the festering stress of trying to achieve the impossible takes its toll—compromised family life, drug and alcohol addictions, depression, and thoughts of suicide."
"To feel that you are falling short, every day, saps the spirit of even the most dedicated of physicians. We feel as though we have been set up to fail. Even when we do manage to preserve the joy of connecting with patients and helping improve lives, the festering stress of trying to achieve the impossible takes its toll—compromised family life, drug and alcohol addictions, depression, and thoughts of suicide."
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