VETS are nearly four times as likely to commit suicide as other members of the public, and twice as likely as doctors or dentists, research shows.
Easy access to lethal drugs and familiarity with animal euthanasia have been blamed for the higher suicide rate. One expert said vets were working within a "culture of death".
The relative lack of support for people working in small, often isolated practices was also highlighted yesterday by support groups, who called for better training among veterinary students to cope with the pressures of the job.
Richard Mellanby, a vet and researcher at Cambridge University's pathology department, found that male vets in England and Wales had a suicide rate of 3.6 times the national average between 1979 and 1990, and 3.7 between 1991 and 2000.
Although similar data has not been analysed in Scotland, the researchers said they expected a similar picture.
Mr Mellanby hopes the results, published in the Veterinary Record, the British Veterinary Association's journal, will act as a wake-up call for the profession to provide urgent help.
He said: "It would be good if it led to an increased recognition of the problems within the profession and helped reduce the stigmatisation of mental health problems and made it easier for people to get help. There also needs to be greater research so the profession can see what problems it needs to address."
Austin Kirwin, chair of the Veterinary Help Line, which gives advice and support to as many as 200 vets a year, said problems ranged from financial hardship to family breakdowns, career issues, mental health problems and addictions.
But he said several factors distinguished vets from other professionals working in stressful environments, including their familiarity with the process of euthanasia and the means to commit suicide.
"The stresses involved in working in an environment where you are dealing day-to-day with euthanasia and advising clients who are having their own animals put down are very great," he said.
"It was found that veterinary surgeons are working within a culture of death.
"If an animal is in a hopeless situation, it is destroyed, so when a vet is depressed and feels their situation is hopeless, they are more likely to commit suicide."
The culture shock of emerging from university and going to work in a small practice – unlike doctors who go to work within the NHS with thousands of others – exacerbated the problem, Mr Kirwin said.
"Vets usually find themselves working in a small practice, possibly on their own with one or two other support staff."
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High suicide rate of vets blamed on easy access to drugs
The Herald (UK)
October 6, 2005
Link
Easy access to lethal drugs and familiarity with animal euthanasia have been blamed for the higher suicide rate. One expert said vets were working within a "culture of death".
The relative lack of support for people working in small, often isolated practices was also highlighted yesterday by support groups, who called for better training among veterinary students to cope with the pressures of the job.
Richard Mellanby, a vet and researcher at Cambridge University's pathology department, found that male vets in England and Wales had a suicide rate of 3.6 times the national average between 1979 and 1990, and 3.7 between 1991 and 2000.
Although similar data has not been analysed in Scotland, the researchers said they expected a similar picture.
Mr Mellanby hopes the results, published in the Veterinary Record, the British Veterinary Association's journal, will act as a wake-up call for the profession to provide urgent help.
He said: "It would be good if it led to an increased recognition of the problems within the profession and helped reduce the stigmatisation of mental health problems and made it easier for people to get help. There also needs to be greater research so the profession can see what problems it needs to address."
Austin Kirwin, chair of the Veterinary Help Line, which gives advice and support to as many as 200 vets a year, said problems ranged from financial hardship to family breakdowns, career issues, mental health problems and addictions.
But he said several factors distinguished vets from other professionals working in stressful environments, including their familiarity with the process of euthanasia and the means to commit suicide.
"The stresses involved in working in an environment where you are dealing day-to-day with euthanasia and advising clients who are having their own animals put down are very great," he said.
"It was found that veterinary surgeons are working within a culture of death.
"If an animal is in a hopeless situation, it is destroyed, so when a vet is depressed and feels their situation is hopeless, they are more likely to commit suicide."
The culture shock of emerging from university and going to work in a small practice – unlike doctors who go to work within the NHS with thousands of others – exacerbated the problem, Mr Kirwin said.
"Vets usually find themselves working in a small practice, possibly on their own with one or two other support staff."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
High suicide rate of vets blamed on easy access to drugs
The Herald (UK)
October 6, 2005
Link
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