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Suicide in veterinarians and veterinary nurses in Australia: 2001-2012

journal contribution
posted on 2015-09-01, 00:00 authored by Allison Milner, H Niven, K Page, Tony LaMontagneTony LaMontagne
BACKGROUND: Whether veterinarians have an elevated suicide rate compared with the general population is controversial. METHODS: Reported cases of suicide among veterinarians and veterinary nurses in Australia over the period 2001 to 2012 were investigated in a retrospective case-series study. RESULTS: The standardised mortality ratio of veterinarians (n = 18) was 1.92 (95% CI 1.14-3.03) and that of veterinary nurses (n = 7) to the general population was 1.24 (95% CI 0.80-1.85). Overdosing on drugs (pentobarbitone) was the main method of suicide in these occupations. CONCLUSION: The reasons for veterinary suicides are likely to be multifactorial, including work- and life-related stressors, and individual characteristics. This research highlights the need for targeted suicide prevention and intervention for veterinarians.

History

Journal

Australian veterinary journal

Volume

93

Issue

9

Pagination

308 - 310

Publisher

Wiley

Location

London, Eng.

eISSN

1751-0813

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2015, Wiley

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