On September 17th, Collier County Medical Society honors National Physician Suicide Awareness Day (NPSA Day) to help shift the healthcare system from one where physicians think burnout, depression, or suicidal thoughts are something they must overcome by themselves, to one where they see the support system around them. As a NPSA Day Supporting Organization, CCMS is reaffirming our commitment to preventing physician suicide, raising awareness, and highlighting our critical physician wellness program, which provides confidential, complimentary psychological sessions to our physician members.
Physicians have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. More than half of physicians know a physician who has either considered, attempted, or died by suicide in their career, and it is estimated that a million Americans lose their physician to suicide each year.
While there are some signs of improvement, the overall state of well-being remains low, with residents and medical students reporting an even lower state of well-being.
- For the fifth year in a row, more than half of physicians still report they often have feelings of burnout, compared to four in ten before the pandemic in 2018.
- More than one-third (34%) of physicians felt hopeless or that they had no purpose.
- Nearly half of physicians (46%) report withdrawing from family, friends, and co-workers.
These feelings can lead to burnout and, when left untreated, can cause more cases of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and lead to suicidal thoughts for physicians, directly impacting physician suicide rates.
However, physicians, residents, and students have identified solutions they need to improve their mental health and well-being. Now is the time to get mental health resources in the hands of current and future physicians, to remove intrusive mental health questions from licensing and credentialing applications, and to take action to create a culture of wellbeing in medical schools, residency programs, and workplaces.
In addition to our physician wellness program, CCMS continues to support these efforts with activities such as legislative advocacy, education and resources for our members, and events for physicians and their families to connect and build support networks.
“As wellness is one of our medical society’s core values, our goal is to positively impact physician well-being with all of our programs and activities,” said Dr. Jose Baez, CCMS Board President. “Improving the health of our physicians improves access to quality healthcare and supports our mission: to serve the needs of our physician members, so they can serve the needs of our community.”
For more information about actions that you can take to prevent physician suicide, as well as to access resources, visit NPSADay.org.
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About National Physician Suicide Awareness Day
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day (#NPSADay) is a reminder and call to action. It’s a time to talk – and to act – so physicians’ struggles don’t become mental health emergencies. Prevention begins with learning the signs, starting the conversations, removing intrusive mental health questions and sharing the resources that can help those in distress seek mental health care. National Physician Suicide Awareness Day is an annual event that takes place on September 17, with a mission to break down the culture of silence around physician mental health. Learn more at NPSADay.org.