Female doctor suicide risk greater than wider society

Female doctors are far more likely to take their own lives than women in the wider population, research has found.

- MAYA OPPENHEIM

An expert partly blamed the issue of higher suicide rates on women being forced to contend with misogyny, bullying, sexual harassment and the gender pay gap.

The study, published in the BMJ, based on an analysis of research from 20 nations, discovered the suicide risk for female doctors was 76 per cent higher than it is in the wider population.

The research, spearheaded by academics from the University of Vienna in Austria, discovered no increase in suicide risk for male doctors in comparison to men in the general population.

Researchers said doctors’ risk of suicide differs between countries but more must be done to tackle these issues, especially for women doctors.

However, the study did find there has been a decrease in suicide rates for both male and female physicians in recent years, with the authors potentially attributing this to greater mental health awareness and workplace support for doctors.

Researchers also found an 81 per cent higher suicide rate among male physicians in comparison to other professional groups who have a similar socio-economic position.