Suicide incidence still high among female doctors

The incidence of death by suicide among male and female physicians has decreased over time, but that in women remains increased, reveals a study. 

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, investigators retrieved studies published between 1960 and 31 March 2024 using the databases of Embase, Medline, and PsycINFO with no language restrictions.  

Observational studies with standardized mortality ratios for physician deaths by suicide, or suicide rates per 100,000 person-years of physicians and a reference group similar to the general population, or extractable data on physician deaths by suicide suitable for the calculation of ratios were included. 

The investigators calculated the mean effect estimates for male and female physicians based on random effects models. They also performed subgroup analyses for geographical region and a secondary analysis of deaths by suicide in physicians compared with other professions. 

Thirty-nine studies met the eligibility criteria. Of these, 38 were for male physicians and 26 for female physicians. Overall, 3,303 and 587 suicides were recorded among male and female physicians, respectively, across two observation periods (ie, 1935–2020 and 1960–2020, respectively). 

The suicide rate ratios were 1.05 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.90–1.22) for male physicians and 1.76 (95 percent CI, 1.40–2.21) for female physicians. Both analyses had high heterogeneity. 

A decreasing effect size for suicides over time was observed via meta-regression, which revealed a significant effect of the midpoint of the observation period. Additionally, male physicians had a suicide rate ratio of 1.81 (95 percent CI, 1.55–2.12) when compared with other professions. 

“These results call for continued efforts in research and prevention of physician deaths by suicide, particularly among female physicians and at-risk subgroups,” the investigators said. 

This meta-analysis was limited by the lack of studies from regions outside of Europe, the US, and Australasia.