Why do you think that PSYCHIATRY is the profession with the HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE?

Answer 1

Listening to all the problems and the crazy people. That would literally drive a person insane. Especially if you can't help them cope or cure them. It would feel like a hopeless cause. I am not surprised.

Answer 2

i heard that dentist have the highest suicide rate, but never ther less, i would think that after a while, some psychiatrist would eventually see themselves in some, or maybe just one of their paitents, and realize that they are no different than they are. Not only that, alot of their paitents commit suicide, which is a tremendous blow to the psychiatrist. They failed their paitent.
not only that, after hearing all those problems on a daily basis, you couldnt help but become depressed yourself..
imagine watching depressing movies for 8 to 10 hrs a day, 5 days a week.

I also heard that all pyschiatrist have to see their own psychiatrist..
not sure if thats true or not though.

Answer 3

~The belief that psychiatrists and/or dentists have the highest rate of suicide is an urban myth. The research on suicides by profession has been both limited in sample size and methodology.

The 1997 NIOSH study analyzed 1980-84 death certificates by all occupations and causes of death, and found statistically significant elevated rates of suicide for white male physicians, black male guards (including supervisors, crossing guards, police, protective service occupations, but not correctional institution occupations) and white female painters, sculptors, craft-artists and artist printmakers.

In another study, a sociology researcher at the University of California, Riverside, Augustine Kposowa, PhD, looked at records over nine years for about half a million people of whom 545 committed suicide. After controlling for such variables as age, income, race, marital status and region of residence, he found that only laborers and the unemployed had significantly higher risks.

On the other hand, he found "dramatic" differences for suicide among the industries where people work. At highest risk were those in mining, business and repair services, wholesale and retail trade and construction.

Most researchers believe that occupation may not be much of a factor in suicide. It has long been documented that among the top predictors for suicide are diagnosable mental disorder, co-morbid substance use, loss of social support and availability and, for males, access to a firearm.

Suicide ranks as the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Sadly, among adolescents and young adults, suicide constitutes the 3rd leading cause of death.

So, don't worry about your shrink or your dentist. Be more concerned about your kids.

Answer 4

There have been no conclusive studies to link one specific occupation with the highest suicide rates. There are personal, occupational, and demographic factors that are significantly linked to higher rates of suicide, though.

Here's an exceprt from the APA:
But experts on suicide say that statistics on its relation to occupation are not clear. There is no national data set on occupation and suicide. Local studies indicate elevated rates in different occupations, but the data usually "turn out to be frail," says prominent suicide researcher David Clark, PhD.

And in fact, points out Ronald Maris, PhD, director of the Center for the Study of Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior at the University of South Carolina, "Occupation is not a major predictor of suicide and it does not explain much about why the person commits suicide."

Answer 5

People who are in the spy business tend to be paranoid. It's easy to jump into the conclusion that they are paranoid because the nature of the job makes them that way. But it also can be true that paranoid people are attracted to jobs like intelligence work, because it matches their temperament. Likewise, people who already have suicidal tendencies and are intensely introspective could be attracted to jobs that involve studying the human psyche. Even if it was true that psychiatrists have the highest suicide rate among professions, that doesn't mean that the profession itself caused it.

Answer 6

The first question is whether that's true. Suicide rate research was reported as "dodgy" by one resource I read. Other sources (one below) do document physician suicide as high. And apparently the dentist suicide rate legend is mostly myth. See second URL below.

If it is true, I'll speculate two reasons. One is that I people who go into mental health may do so because they have a few mental health issues themselves. It's human nature -- they go into it because it's of interest and it's of interest because they think about it. And some harbor hope they can gain some help themselves. I don't KNOW this to be true, but it seems so based on people I have observed.

Second speculation is that listening to mental health issues may trigger mental stress. I am skeptical of this but I put it forth as a hypothesis.

Answer 7

Fascinating, isn't it, that we buy into urban legends?
According to 'The Straight Dope' the real answer to who has the highest suicide rate is 'Students.' After that it's Food Batchmakers, then Physicians & Health Aides (excluding Nurses). Psychiatrists & Dentists aren't listed separately from Physicians.

Answer 8

Maybe because they got into the profession because the were very empathetic towards other people. When they find that they cannot help a great many of their patients, they become depressed. Once depressed, they may self-medicate as a great many in any medical field do. Medication without outside direction may further hinder self esteem and general outlook on the direction of their lives. Thank you.

Answer 9

Psychiatry does not have the highest suicide rate. Public safety does.

Answer 10

Seeing people in continual pain and being empathetic can cause you to feel very depressed as well as having more clients it can be very isolating. If that is all you see all day it makes you wonder if there is anyone sane.

It is the same reason why social workers burn out. Or policemen becoming alcholics. The stress and sadness can be hard to process. Once you have seen or heard the worst of humanity you cannot erase it.

Answer 11

We discussed this in my psychology class. Many people go into psychiatry to try and work out their own personal issues, so they are already troubled to begin with. Secondly, they have to listen to many people's negative outlooks and opinions about life on a daily basis...basically hear complaints all day long. So, I'm sure they start to develop a negative outlook from hearing this negativity on a daily basis...that is one theory.