Mortality Among Male Anaesthetists in the United Kingdom, 1957-83

A cohort of 3769 male anaesthetists was followed up in order to determine mortality rates. 16 of the 221 deaths examined were due to suicide, giving a standardised mortality ratio of 202 when compared compared against the standard. When anaesthetists were compared with all doctors, the standardised mortality ratio for suicide was only 114, a non-significant excess. These findings confirm that the risk of suicide among anaesthetists is twice as high as among other men, but suggest that the risk does not differ significantly from that among doctors as a whole. (16 refs)