Physicians are as prone to stress and depression as the general population despite a seemingly healthier lifestyle. The work-related stress and the huge responsibility of handling patients’ lives, that the majority of doctors are handling day in and day out is not easy to bear upon. Evidence suggests that doctors are about 2.5 times as likely to commit suicide than those in other professions. This article discusses the reasons behind the high incidence of suicides by doctors and measures to tackle the issue.
High incidence of suicidal tendencies in doctors is a serious public health issue, with an extremely complex and multifactorial behavior. Indian medical set up is overburdened where doctors need to stretch their limits beyond sanity. This is not true only for experienced physicians but for residents and medical students as well. Medical training is one of the toughest ordeals that…
