I sometimes struggle to come up with the topic for my Monitor contribution, as the choice of topics are infinite. However, in the last month, I have seen the need to highlight a topic no one likes to discuss – suicide. First, in my new role as Chief Operating Officer of our children’s health system, we have recently seen a large increase in children and adolescents with attempted suicide (some completed) as well as overdoses. Second, we have learned recently that U.S. life expectancy falls again, driven by suicides and overdoses. Third, we have seen how this affects us as our colleagues also fall victim to suicide.
Suicide
Each year, 44,965 Americans die by suicide. Suicide is:
Physician Suicide
A recent article in Medscape noted that an estimated 300-400 physicians die by suicide each year – a doctor a day, or two to three medical school classes annually. The medical...
