BY: SAMANTHA BARTLETT, DVM
In January 2019, The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published the results of a study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on the prevalence of suicide in the veterinary profession. This study reviewed deaths of veterinarians from 1970 through 2015 and found that veterinarians, as a whole were more likely than the general population to die by suicide. The study showed that nearly one veterinarian has died by suicide for every month since 1979. Female veterinarians in clinical practice were 3.5 times more likely than the general US population to commit suicide.
In response to the growing number of suicides by veterinarians in the U.S., many efforts have been made to provide support and prevention for those contemplating the option. One of the largest efforts is an online organization called Not One More Vet (NOMV). Dr. Nicole McArthur created the group in 2014, days after the death of well-known veterinarian, Sophia Yin. The organization gives veterinarians a sounding board and support group for work stressors. There are more than 18,000 members of the Facebook group.
In addition to providing a sounding board, NOMV also provides mental health education, financial assistance for those veterinarians that do not have access to affordable mental health care, and relief workers to give emotionally drained vets to take a few days off to reset. One of the main areas of focus by the group is to train others what to do when someone is contemplating suicide.
The AVMA has also created several mental health resources for members. These resources train members how to identify others at risk and gives resources to help. The organization is also pushing discussions about wellness and work-life balance. The organization hopes that by brining discussions out in the open, some of the stigma of suicide that prevents those in need from reaching out will be removed. By bringing the issue to the forefront of discussions, hopefully affected individuals will become aware that they are not alone and will reach out for help before it is too late.
The biggest resource for suicide crisis is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This organization can be reached at 800-273-TALK(8255), by texting HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line or you can reach out to their chat team online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
