On the Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to articles from other places that are timely and of importance to our readership. We wanted to bring attention to two recent articles highlighting the prevalence of suicide among physicians, particularly surgeons.
Following the session “More Than 300 Surgeon Deaths Annually from Unnatural Causes: A Silent Epidemic?” presented by James S. Harrop, MD, FAANS, during the 2024 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting, Medscape published an article on the topic. Titled “Suicide in Surgeons: The Heavy Toll of a High-Stakes Career,” the article discusses how pervasive distress and suicide are among medical professionals, particularly surgeons. In 2020, the AANS released data from a survey of 346 neurosurgery residents, revealing that 67% had burnout and 41% seriously considered quitting. A post-pandemic survey of more than 600 surgeons and surgical trainees reported that one in seven had suicidal ideation.
AANS Past President Ann R. Stroink, MD, FAANS, states that one potential trigger for burnout is the current shortage of neurosurgeons in the U.S. “To address this critical issue, we’ve been advocating through legislative channels for additional Medicare[-funded] slots” to train more neurosurgeons. She goes on to note, “It’s imperative that we take proactive steps to ensure that our healthcare system can sustainably meet the needs of patients, while also supporting the well-being of our neurosurgical professionals.”
Health care workers and physicians have the greatest incidence of suicide, according to the AANS Neurosurgeon article “Beating Burnout: Physician Suicide” by Drs. Harrop, Stroink and Isabelle M. Germano, MD, MBA, FAANS. The authors state that physicians need to be educated about this disorder in order to help patients. However, physicians are not immune to the disease. The article concludes with three steps to reduce suicide:
- Education on this topic for awareness and prevention;
- Screening for depression and substance abuse, annual suicide prevention awareness; and
- Access to treatment.
James S. Harrop, MD, FAANS, Isabelle M. Germano, MD, MBA, FAANS and Ann R. Stroink, MD, FAANS
Click here to read the AANS Neurosurgeon article, here to read the Medscape article and here to read the Neurosurgery Blog series on physician burnout.
Editor’s Note: Sept. 17 is National Physician Suicide Awareness Day. We hope you will share what you learn from our posts. We invite you to join the conversation on X by following @Neurosurgery and using the hashtags #PhysicianBurnout and #Neurosurgery.
