Suicide among healthcare professionals: challenges for society as a whole

Abstract

Suicide among healthcare personnel is a global health problem that had not been previously studied in Costa Rica. In the current issue of Acta Médica Costarricense, Mora-Torres and colleagues examine its occurrence over a 10-year period in a retrospective sample of autopsies conducted by the Forensic Pathology Section of the Judicial Investigation Agency (Organismo de Investigación Judicial). The most significant identified risk factors are being male, being a nursing or medical professional, and having a history of psychiatric disorders. Some factors that may explain suicide among healthcare personnel include the prevailing medical culture, burnout syndrome, post-traumatic and dissociative phenomena, downward spirals in hostile environments with low academic performance, and the cultural circumstances of current and future medical students. Concrete actions in response to this scenario could include early-stage faculty mentorship, an equilibrium between workinghours and the expectations and demands of the system, appropriate availability and normalization of mental health care services, early detection of post-traumatic phenomena, implementation of gender-adapted interventions, and organizational strategies to reduce chronic stress and stigma. Existing resources that can be accessed include psychiatric care at the Medical Specialties Clinic of the Costa Rican College of Physicians and Surgeons (Colegio de Médicos y Cirujanos de Costa Rica) and the Comprehensive Network for the Promotion of Wellbeing and Mental Health Support of the Graduate Studies System (Sistema de Estudios de Postgrado) of the University of Costa Rica.