Suicide Among Medical Doctors: Psychological Autopsy Data on Seven Cases

Suicide mortality among Finnish physicians is significantly higher when compared with other professions & the general population. Data on 7 physician suicides were collected over a 1-year period & analyzed using psychological autopsies. Results suggest that the physicians who committed suicide tended to have an emphasized reliance on their professional identity. It is speculated that medical professionals easily resort to drug use as a coping mechanism, thus increasing their suicide risk.