Doctor suicide – resources and a need for action

An open letter from AMA (NSW) President, Prof Brad Frankum

I wanted to acknowledge my anonymous colleague for their heartfelt post – There  is something rotten inside the medical profession.

I am sad to say we have lost at least three colleagues in the last 12 months, that I am aware of, some still in the early stages of their careers, others experienced doctors with well-established practices.

One of them was my friend and one of my earliest medical colleagues.

He left behind a wife and four children, as well as devastated and saddened colleagues.

I have also been personally touched by the suicides of our junior colleagues.

The most recent have come from my College; have trained in my hospitals; and, in one instance, been directly involved in the AMA family.

Like all doctors, I wish I had the answers for you on why this happens and how to make it stop.

The profession has been looking for these answers for decades.

There have been Black Dog studies, beyondblue surveys, reviews of deaths before the Coroner, major meetings with the AMA and the Colleges, and many countless hours of work by individuals – motivated each time by the idea that we won’t lose any more of our own.

We know doctors are very likely to be perfectionists – this is very good when it comes to caring for patients and can be very difficult when it comes to caring for yourself.

Most tragically, we know doctors have the means and skills to end their life.

We know that the demands of our health system are taking a toll on us all.

Each quarter we see exponential increases in the number of sick patients coming into our hospitals.

Doctors, nurses, and allied health staff have been pushed to meet this demand.

We also know that doctors and students need better resources for their health and for this reason, the AMA was instrumental in securing significant funding for Doctors’ Health Advisory Services (DHAS) around the country.

It is clear to me that provisions such as mandatory reporting are stopping doctors and students from accessing care, or are making them fearful of the consequences if they do require support.

We have to change this because it is not making our doctors or our patients safer.

We need to know more than this and the AMA, the Colleges, the DHAS, the Medical Benevolent Association of NSW, and people across the profession are committed to doing so.

It’s important that we share all of the resources available – these include:

• The Doctors’ Health Advisory Service (ACT and NSW)
• DHAS contacts for other States, the NT, and New Zealand
• The Medical Benevolent Association of NSW
• JMO Mental Health
• Lifeline (13 11 14)

Finally, I was struck by a line in the anonymous doctor’s post indicating that a close friend had said maybe those who have taken their own life are the brave ones.

I encourage you not to view suicide in these kinds of terms.

People at risk of suicide often endure their distress alone.

Rather than viewing things in terms of bravery, we should acknowledge that this level of distress exists and encourage people experiencing it to connect with others and discuss it.

There is always an alternative to suicide.