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

A cohort of 3769 male anaesthetists resident in the United Kingdom between 1957-1983 was followed up for a total of 51,431 person years of observation. With all men in social class I being taken as the standard, the standardised mortality ratio among anaesthetists for all causes of death was 68. 16 of the 221 deaths in anaesthetists were due to suicide, giving a standardised mortality ratio of 202. When anaethetists were compared with all doctors the standardised mortality ratio for suicide was only 114, a nonsignificant excess. Findings confirm the risk of suicide among anaethetists is twice as high as among other men in social class I but suggest the risk does not differ significantly from that among doctors as a whole. (16 refs.)