Suicide and Self-Harm Among Physicians in Ontario, Canada

Area of Science:

• Medical Research
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Physicians may face elevated suicide risks compared to the general population.
• Previous studies suggest occupation-associated suicide risks in medical professionals.
• This study investigates suicide and self-harm rates among physicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess and compare the risk of suicide and self-harm between physicians and nonphysicians.
• To identify potential differences in suicide and self-harm incidence based on occupation.
• To inform the development of targeted prevention strategies.

Main Methods:

• Population-based retrospective cohort study utilizing Ontario health administrative data (1990-2017).
• Involved 35,989 physicians and 6,585,197 nonphysician controls.
• Employed age- and sex-standardized rates and weighted regression models to compare outcomes.

Main Results:

• Physicians exhibited similar unadjusted suicide rates (9.44 vs. 11.55 per 100,000 person-years) and a non-significant weighted hazard ratio of 1.05.
• Physicians showed significantly lower rates of self-harm requiring healthcare (HR: 0.65) and a composite of suicide or self-harm (HR: 0.70).
• History of mood/anxiety disorders and recent mental health/psychiatry visits were associated with increased risk for the composite outcome.

Conclusions:

• Physicians in Ontario do not have a higher risk of suicide compared to nonphysicians.
• Physicians experience a lower risk of self-harm requiring healthcare.
• Identifying risk factors like mental health history is crucial for physician suicide and self-harm prevention programs.