Dentists and suicide rate?

Question

You know, I have heard all my life about dentists being at such risk for commiting suicide, but I also keep hearing that it's a myth. I've just done a few searches for "dentist suicide," "dentist suicide rate," and "dentist suicide statistics," and I'm just not finding anything relevant.

Can someone actually cite a study - even ONE study - or provide me with a link that supports the popular claim that dentists have a high risk of suicide?

Thanks.

Yes, I am a dentist and, _NO_, I am not contemplating suicide. It's just a question that keeps coming up here and I'd like to debunk what I believe to be a myth. I can't find anything to support this statement and I was hoping that nobody else could either so we could put the myth to rest.

I asked the same question in the "Mental Health" section and got a couple of very good answers and one OUTSTANDING answer that says it's more or less a myth. It's a journal abstract (JADA) and not someone's personal opinion. Go check it out.

Answer 1

Having worked in the Dentistry field for 13 years I have never come across anyone that even knows someone that has committed suicide. I think it is a myth.

These are the articles that I was able to find. Sorry I can't give you a link to these as I only have access to them via a UNI link. Perhaps you can access them somewhere yourself.

Alexander RE. Stress-related suicide by dentists and other health care workers. Fact or folklore?. [Journal Article. Meta-Analysis] Journal of the American Dental Association. 132(6):786-94, 2001 Jun

Stein GM. Challenging the myth of the suicide-prone dentist. [Journal Article] Northwest Dentistry. 83(1):35-8, 2004 Jan-Feb.

Arnetz BB. Horte LG. Hedberg A. Malker H. Suicide among Swedish dentists. A ten-year follow-up study. [Journal Article] Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine. 15(4):243-6, 1987.

Bourassa M. Brisebois P. [Suicide in dentists]. [French] [Journal Article] Journal Dentaire du Quebec. 27:113-6, 1990 Mar.

Arnetz B. Horte LG. Hedberg A. Malker H. [Suicide among dentists--results from a cohort study]. [Swedish] [Journal Article] Tandlakartidningen. 78(8):424-7, 1986 Apr.

Lang-Runtz H. Stress in dentistry: it can kill you. [Journal Article] Journal (Canadian Dental Association). 50(7):539-41, 1984 Jul.

Answer 2

Yea. The statistic have been getting better over the last few decades. Dentist deal with alot of "stress" from patients, staff, running a business, family, relationships ect. When one of them gets out of control they have a hard time coping with it. They are generally Type A personality people who have to have control of everything. When they cant control something they crack! But believe me it is a great profession it requires some flexibility and balance in all areas of your life. By the way Dentist are not the highest on the suicide rate.

Answer 3

Huh? I've never heard of such a thing. Gotta be some myth. In fact, a myth implies something huge. This isn't even a tabloid factoid. Why on earth would dentists want to kill themselves more than other doctors? Makes no sense.

Answer 4

I found articles, but not many actualy statistics. See below

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010420.html

http://www.suicidereferencelibrary.com/test4~id~1368.php

If you want to do some real research find a good online database of scholarly articles. I know at the college I went to we had this massive journal search engine through the online Library site. I can no longer access it since I have graduated but if possible thats a good place to look. Also if you can obtain suicide rates by profession that might help. I have heard the rumor many times but have never actually seen any statistics.

Answer 5

I have heard this as well, and could offer several cases of anecdotal evidence.

For a good resource, search the archives of DentalTown.com

If a myth, it is certainly a pervasive one. The stresses of running a dental practice are not insignificant, but there must be professions more given to suicide. Proctologists? Marriage counsellors? Operators of slaughter houses?

I mean...come on! You get spit upon and occasionally bit, but your kids go to private school and your wife drives a Volvo. Too much to deal with?

(Sam, just kidding. I know you drive a 92 Nissan and your kids are home-schooled.)

Answer 6

I haven't heard of such a thing in my life.
is it really true?
it is quite unbelievable.
i would rather say oncologists have a higher suicide rate than any dentist.

Answer 7

Doctors in general have a higher suicide rate, because of the stress of patients dying.. i would think that would be fairly low in dentists. fewer patients die...... thoug my GF died from an infection she got from a dentist, so its not unheard off (dentist patiens dying)

Answer 8

Dentists' odds of suicide are 6.64 times greater then the rest of the working population.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010420.html

Answer 9

I heard that too. My mom is a hygenist and she told me that it has to do with working in such a confined area.

Answer 10

I have heard the same thing over and over again but I never read any study that was significant about it...
I talked about it to one of my patient, a psychiatrist (head of dept. at his hospital) and he said he never heard about it. He considered physicians to be at much higher risk...