Suicide among psychiatrists: From healers to seekers of mental health care

Sheikh Shoib; Fahimeh Saeed; Saeed Ahmed; Chan Park; Thiago Henrique Roza; Sardar Khan Nazari; Aishatu Yusha'u Armiya'u; Domenico De Berardis; Rameez Ali Mahesar; Miyuru Chandradasa

doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104004

Suicide among psychiatrists: From healers to seekers of mental health care

Asian J Psychiatr. 2024 May:95:104004. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104004. Epub 2024 Mar 12.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of health services, Srinagar, Kashmir, India; Sharda University (SSh), Greater Noida, India; Psychosis Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: 2022301906.sheikh@dr.sharda.ac.in.
² Psychosis Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: Fa.saeed@uswr.ac.ir.
³ Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut.
⁴ UCLA-VA Psychiatry Residency Program,University of California, Los Angeles, USA. Electronic address: Chanpark@mednet.ucla.edu.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
⁶ Sakha private Hospital, Kabul, Afghanistan.
⁷ Department of psychiatry, College of Medical Sciences, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi State, Nigeria.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, ASL 4 Teramo, Italy; School of Nursing, University of L'Aquila, Italy; International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Russia. Electronic address: domenico.deberardis@aslteramo.it.
⁹ Department of Media Science, Iqra University, Main Campus, Karachi, Pakistan.. Electronic address: rameez.mahesar@iqra.edu.pk.
¹⁰ Department of Psychiatry, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri Lanka. Electronic address: miyuruc@kln.ac.lk.

PMID: 38513510
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104004

Abstract

Addressing suicide and mental health issues among psychiatrists, particularly during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic is important. several factors contribute to this risk, such as long duty hours, burnout, emotional exhaustion, exposure to secondary trauma, and the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers. This paper emphasizes the urgent need for interventions at individual and organizational levels to address burnout and mental health issues among psychiatrists. Supporting the mental resilience of mental health professionals will improve the mental health of the community.

Keywords: Burnout; COVID-19; Mental Health; Physician; Psychiatrist; Suicide.

MeSH terms

Burnout, Professional* / prevention & control
Burnout, Professional* / psychology
COVID-19*
Health Personnel / psychology
Humans
Mental Health Services
Psychiatrists
Psychiatry*
Suicide Prevention
Suicide* / psychology