Alarmingly high female physician suicide rates

Feb. 28, 2025

New study findings show that female physicians are dying by suicide at higher rates than female nonphysicians.

Researchers analyzed 97,915 cases from 2017-2021. According to the study, “female physicians had a significantly higher suicide incidence per 100,000 person-years than the female general population in 2017 and 2019.” Male physicians died by suicide less than male non-physicians.

Additionally, all physicians were found to have higher rates of depression, lower mental health, and job and legal issues.

The authors call for more intense suicide prevention strategies.

The study is published in JAMA Psychiatry.

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