Citation

Hughes TM, Collins RA, Cunningham CE. JAMA Surg. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jamasurg.2023.4658

PMID

37792380

Abstract

The house of surgery is faced with an epidemic amid our ranks. Despite priding ourselves on mental and physical toughness that ignores basic physical and psychological needs, mental illness among surgeons is rampant. On the current trajectory, our workforce will continue to suffer in silence, valuable members will leave the field, and our colleagues will continue to die by suicide.

For decades, rates of depression and suicidal ideation among physicians have been high, exceeding that of the general population, with surgeons having one of the highest suicide rates among physicians.1-3 The mental health crisis may be even worse than best estimation, as available data are likely markedly underestimating the problem due to issues of response bias and underreporting for fear of discrimination and repudiation.

Language: en