Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T09:23:10.849Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Suicide in Young Doctors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

J. C. Richings*
Affiliation:
Department of Health and Social Security, 80-94 Newington Causeway, London SEI 6EF
G. S. Khara
Affiliation:
Department of Health and Social Security, 286 Euston Road, London NWl 3DN
M. McDowell
Affiliation:
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, Medical Statistics Division, 10 Kingsway, London WC2B6JP
*
Correspondence

Extract

Fifty-five cases of suicide by doctors under the age of 40 were studied because of concern about deaths among anaesthetists in training. The excess mortality of doctors from suicide was confirmed, suggesting that risk factors associated with being a member of the medical profession continue to operate, although mortality for young male doctors from accidental poisoning is falling. Analysis of the branches of medicine in which the doctors were working showed no definite specialty predominance. There was a somewhat greater risk for women doctors born overseas.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1986 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

A'Brook, M. F., Hailstone, J. D. & McLauchlan, I. E. J. (1967) Psychiatric illness in the medical profession. British Journal of Psychiatry, 113, 10131023.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Adelstein, A. & Mardon, C. (1975) Suicides 1961–1974. Population Trends, 2, 1318.Google Scholar
Bulusu, L. & Alderson, M. (1984) Suicides 1950–1982. Population Trends, 5, 1117.Google Scholar
Farmer, R. & Rhode, V. (1980) Effect of availability and acceptibility of lethal instruments on suicide mortality. Acta Psychiatria Scandinavica, 62, 436446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Generai Register Office (1958) Registrar-General's Decennial Supplement on Occupational Mortality (1951). London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Generai Register Office (1971) Registrar-General's Decennial Supplement on Occupational Mortality (1961). London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Harrington, J. M. & Shannon, H. S. (1975) Mortality study of pathologists and medical laboratory technicians. British Medical Journal, iv, 329332.Google Scholar
Hflliwell, P. J. (1983) Suicide amongst anaesthetists in training. Anaestheisa, 38, 1097.Google Scholar
McClure, G. M. G. (1984) Trends in suicide rates for England and Wales 1975–1980. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 119126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDowell, M. (1983) Measuring women's occupational mortality. Population Trends, 34, 2529.Google Scholar
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1978) Registrar-Generals Decennial Supplement on Occupational Mortality (1970–1972). London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1982) Mortality Statistics: 1980. (DH2 No 7). London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Sainsbur y, P. & Jenkins, J. S. (1982) The accuracy of officially reported suicide statistics for purposes of epidemiological research. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 36, 4348.Google Scholar
Smith, D. J. (1980) Overseas Doctors in the National Health Service. London: Policy Studies Institute.Google Scholar
Steppacher, R.C. & Mausner, J.S. (1974) Suicide in male and female physicians. Journal of the American Medical Association, 228, 323328.Google Scholar
Waterson, D. J. (1976) Psychiatric illness in the medical profession - incidence in relation to sex and field of practice. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 115, 311317.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1980) International Classification of Diseases (9th revision) (ICD-9) General: WHO.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.