Rosta J, Aasland OG., 2013 [20]

Changes in the lifetime prevalence of suicidal feelings and thoughts among Norwegian doctors from 2000 to 2010: a longitudinal study based on national samples

1600 Norwegian physicians and 3295 German hospital doctors

The main aims of this study are to describe changes in the lifetime prevalence of suicidal feelings from 2000 to 2010 and the possible predictors of serious suicidal thoughts in 2010 among Norwegian physicians.

Suicidal feelings among Norwegian physicians decreased from 2000 to 2010. Individual and work-related factors may certainly explain these findings. In comparison with other professionals in Norway and physicians in Germany, Norwegian physicians showed higher risks of suicidal thoughts.

MEDLINE/ PubMed

Differences in methodology limit direct comparisons with other studies.

Gold KJ, Sen A, Schwenk TL., 2013 [15]

Details on suicide among US physicians: data from the National Violent Death Reporting System

31,636 suicide victims, of whom 203 were identified as physicians.

Data from the United States National Violent Death Reporting System were used to evaluate demographics, mental health variables, recent stressors and suicide methods among physicians versus suicide victims in 17 states.

Mental illness is an important comorbidity for physicians who commit suicide, but postmortem toxicology data show low rates of medication treatment. Inadequate treatment and increased problems related to job stress may be potentially modifiable risk factors to reduce suicidal death among physicians.

MEDLINE/ PubMed

It is probable that the used method has an understatement about the real incidence of mental illness, depression and its precipitating circumstances, since the victim cannot be interviewed on data prevenient from National Violent Death Reporting System. The significant stigma associated with mental illness can also result in understatement. Post-mortem data allow the description of associations between suicide and mental illness and stress, but they do not enable investigators to identify a causal relation.