Suicide - Professions
Top 11 Professions
with Highest Suicide Rates Yet year after year, both dentist and doctor remain among the occupations with the highest suicide rates. It seems as though in the United States, jobs requiring significant levels of aptitude, sacrifice, and education seem to be those with above-average risk of suicide. Oddly enough, contrasting evidence has emerged in countries like Britain that indicates the opposite trend to be true: occupations requiring lower skill tend to carry increased rates of suicide. Unfortunately, specific data of suicide rates by profession is generally imperfect. It is impossible to get an accurate comparison of all careers in regards to suicide rate. Therefore, researchers have taken the time to analyze some of the more common occupations and have come up with a list of professions that are thought to have the highest suicide rates. Top 11 Professions with Highest Suicide Rates Below is a list of the professions that are believed to have the highest suicide rates. Much of this data has been compiled based on information released from the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH). The data collected from the NIOSH is generally outdated by a couple of years and will be subject to change based on futuristic modifications to the landscape of the market. Keep in mind, that the data is subject to slight error and annual adjustments. The “Odds” listed below include a number indicating the rates of suicide compared to those in the general population. For example, if “1.5” is listed, it would mean that those in the mentioned profession die from suicide as a cause of death at a rate that is 1.5 times the norm. Since not all rates were able to be specifically determined. 1. Medical Doctors Odds: 1.87 Evidence suggests that doctors are approximately 1.87 times as likely to commit suicide than those working other occupations. Examining all causes of death as a doctor, nearly 4% of all doctor deaths result from suicide. There are many factors that are believed to make doctors more likely to resort to suicide than average, including: long hours, demanding patients, malpractice lawsuits, continued education, medical school expenses, and ease of access to medications. If a doctor becomes stressed and/or deeply depressed, the fact that they can easily obtain medication is a contributing factor to the increase in suicides among this profession. A doctor is also extremely knowledgeable regarding doses of medications and combinations that would prove to be fatal. Evidence suggests that doctors are nearly 4X as likely to use drugs as a suicide method in attempt to overdose. Additionally, doctors that do suffer from a mental illness often won’t seek treatment for an array of reasons. They may not want word to spread that they have a particular psychiatric condition, they may feel as if the medications will affect their performance, and they may not be able to admit that they actually need medical help. Certainly each doctor is different, and the majority of doctors actually have a below-average likelihood of committing suicide due to the fact that they take optimal care of their mental and physical health. Note: Male and female physicians are equally as likely to commit suicide. In comparison to standard female occupations, female doctors are 2.78 times as likely to commit suicide. 2. Dentists Odds: 1.67 Most people don’t particularly enjoy going to the dentist, but most can tough it out in order to get clean teeth. The dental field is considered extremely competitive and requires significant technical skill to deliver optimal oral care. Like doctors, dentists work in a field that is rife with stress from working long hours and complaints from patients. Researchers suggest that dentists are nearly 1.67 times as likely to commit suicide compared to an average job. There are many factors that likely contribute to this increased risk of suicide including: stress, demanding nature of the job, patient complaints, perfectionism, and even loans to pay off from dental school. Many new dentists enter the field with significant debt and overwork themselves in attempt to pay it off – not realizing that they are sacrificing their personal health. Sure being a dentist can result in a significant income, but not many people realize the degree of stress that most dentists experience. Couple these factors with ease of access to various drugs and a well rounded pharmacological knowledge, and committing suicide becomes an easy prospect. Additionally, dentists are believed to suffer from higher rates of mental illness due to stress, but are less likely than average to seek out help for their condition. 3. Police Officers Odds: 1.54 When most people think of police officers, they think of upstanding citizens that are in great mental and physical health. However, many people don’t realize that enforcing the law is often very stressful and requires a significant amount of work. Many police officers work overtime and depending on their assigned duties, they may become more stressed than average. Some have suggested that police officers are much more likely to become depressed than people working other occupations; estimates suggest the likelihood is nearly two-fold. Due to the stressful nature of their job, they are less likely to get adequate sleep – with most police officers routinely getting under six hours. Despite the stress associated with this job and preliminary reports that police officers have high suicide rates, the rates are often fabricated with too high of numbers simply to generate media hype. Looking more specifically, it appears as though Caucasian men tend to have lower suicide rates as police officers compared to women and African-American men. Suicide rates for women that become police officers tend to be approximately 2.03 times that of the average population, while African-American male police officers tend to engage in approximately 2.55 times your average worker. However, in general, your “active duty” police officer engages in suicide as a cause of death at a rate that is still less than doctors and dentists. More police get killed from felons than those who die of suicide. 4. Veterinarians Odds: 1.54 Those involved in the field of animal care as veterinarians seem to have above average suicide rates when compared to the general population. Since many vets have easy access to various pharmaceutical medications and a knowledge of the pharmacology, using them for the purposes of suicide isn’t a far-fetched idea – especially when a veterinarian becomes depressed. This is another job that requires technical skill, proper diagnoses, and little room for mistakes. Many vets work long hours and constantly see animals get put to sleep, which may detrimentally affect their emotional wellbeing. For some veterinarians, the combination of working with sick, suffering animals may lead to feelings of depression and emotional stress. Like medical doctors, many veterinarians may also believe that they take optimal care of themselves and don’t need to seek treatment should they suffer from a mental illness. On average though, suicide rates for veterinarians have historically been considered a profession with higher than average suicide rates. 5. Financial Services Odds: 1.51 The finance industry is full of people making a lot of money, yet consistently has above average suicide rates. It is thought that among those who work in the financial industry, the suicide rate is approximately 1.51 times that of an average worker. Due to the recession that hit the United States and ensuing economic changes, those who work in the financial industry may not feel as secure as they had in the past. Some evidence has demonstrated a clear correlation between suicide in the financial industry and the state of the economy. In a booming economy, the suicide rates plummet due to the fact that the financial workers are likely also raking in more money with less to worry about. In a bust economy, financial advisors are often losing significant amounts of money and have trouble generating business. The fact that the financial market has been subject to instability in recent years, many in the financial industry become stressed and/or depressed. Although these individuals may not have ease of access to pharmaceuticals like doctors and dentists, the pressure to “swim-or-sink” in a poor economy often leads some financial experts to inevitably “sink” and they resort so suicide. Think about it, if your job was at the mercy of a poor economy, you may become stressed. Also, if you are helping others invest and they end up losing money or not meeting projected quotas, it is easy to carry significant guilt. These are all hypothesized reasons that may contribute to elevated suicide rates among those working in the finance industry. 6. Real Estate Agents Odds: 1.38 Working in the real estate industry has significant earning potential, but often carries equally as much risk. While becoming a real estate agent may not take as much of a financial toll on a person, establishing themselves in the industry is often highly stressful. Even after a person gets established as a real estate agent, they are responsible for closing deals, negotiating, and if they need to sell a valuable property in a specific amount of time, they may become stressed. When properties become devalued in the housing market, it makes selling pretty tough. Someone who needs to make a specific amount of money may not understand that when property values plummet, real estate earning potential often does as well. While there are always some sharks in the real estate industry that earn significant money regardless of the housing market, there are also individuals that end up becoming broke. Some real estate agents have a really tough time finding work in a bust economy. This leads to less sales and less money to provide for themselves and/or a family. The suicide rate among real estate agents in estimated as being 1.38 times the average worker. Obviously the risk is subject to fluctuation based on the current state of property values and the housing market. 7. Electricians Odds: 1.36 Becoming an electrician often carries a high earning potential. Additionally, electricians are always in demand due to the fact that most people don’t want to work around high voltage electricity on a daily basis. Most qualified electricians have no problem finding a job or earning a salary capable of supporting themselves. However, electricians tend to commit suicide at approximately 1.36 times the rate of your average worker. Some have theorized that the continuous daily electromagnetic radiation may alter brain chemistry and functioning of the nervous system. This alteration may make electricians more prone to major depression and ultimately suicide. This particular theory warrants further scientific investigation. Perhaps the fact that most electricians are often dealing with potentially life-threatening currents and are often need to fix electrical mishaps quickly leads to above-average stress. Obviously some electricians may be happier than others and less prone to suicidal ideation, but overall the suicide rate is considered above-average. 8. Lawyers Odds: 1.33 Becoming a lawyer requires significant education and educational expenses. Additionally, once an individual completes the necessary education to become a lawyer, they often have accumulated debt from student loans. Simultaneously, they often have difficulties finding a good job that meets their expected income level. It should also be mentioned that law students tend to become depressed before they establish themselves as lawyers. Some reports suggest that nearly 40% of law students deal with depression. Working lawyers are thought to have higher rates of depression than the average U.S. citizen. – some research indicates their rates are approximately 3.6 times that of average occupations. The fact that lawyers are more prone to depression and often have to work long, stressful hours to establish themselves, their mental health can suffer. This can spiral into thoughts of suicide, and if a lawyer feels as if there’s no escape from their stressful career, they may act on those thoughts. Obviously not all lawyers suffer from depression and suicidal ideation, it just happens to be more common in this particular occupation. Statistics indicate that lawyers are 1.33 times more likely to off themselves as an average citizen. The skyrocketing rates of depression and suicide in recent years have lead to the implementation of mandatory psychological evaluations for lawyers in certain states. 9. Farmers Odds: 1.32 Farmers are responsible for growing crops to provide food for the rest of the country. However, for most farmers, growing crops isn’t necessarily a lucrative business. Many famers deal with inclement weather that detrimentally affects crop production. If crop production is low, the farmer is unable to make enough sales to adequately provide for himself and his family. This increases overall financial stress, which leaves the farmer with less money to reinvest in the farming business. With less money to reinvest, the potential crop for the following year remains lower than average. Not only is being a famer considered to be among the lowest paying jobs in the United States, but it requires long hours and significant hard work. Farmers constantly need to buy machinery, replace parts, and are often considered to be isolated from society. Outside of other family members, being a farmer results in minimal social interaction, which may contribute to increased depression. Perhaps most notably, farmers are often exposed to pesticides, which have been linked to suicide. For these reasons, suicide rates among farmers are approximately 1.32 times that of your average occupation. 10. Pharmacists Odds: 1.29 Being a pharmacist often results in working long hours, getting inadequate sleep, and high levels of stress. Pharmacists need to be highly alert because they are responsible for dispensing pharmaceutical prescriptions on a daily basis. All it takes is one major error in the dosing of the medication that they provide for them to lose their job. They need to make sure that they follow proper protocol and are essentially perfect in the dispensing of medications. The perfectionist nature of this job results in further stress upon the pharmacist. Additionally, some pharmacists are required to work shift-work at 24 hour pharmacies, which is well-established to be detrimental to a person’s mental health. The suicide rate among pharmacists is approximately 1.29 times that of the average occupation. While most licensed pharmacists earn a good salary, they carry a significant amount of responsibility. They are responsible for informing patients of medication side effects and dealing with collecting payments for certain medications. Often times a patient who cannot afford a particular medication or is confused will unleash their misguided anger upon a pharmacist. Also considering the fact that a pharmacist has easy access to drugs and a general knowledge of dosing and pharmacology, it makes suicide via overdose a more common option. 11. Chemists Odds: 1.28 Working as a chemist or scientist is found to have a suicide rate that is approximately 1.28 times that of other occupations. Individuals involved in science fields, particularly chemists are able to easily obtain deadly chemicals and concoct formulas that are likely to be lethal. Chemists have an astute knowledge of what they could mix together and theoretically could create a strong batch of drugs as a means to overdose. Those working as chemists and scientists are often under significant pressure to perform on the job. Not only do they need to be perfectionists, they are often scrutinized if they fail to come up with a new breakthrough in their field. A scientists or chemist could end up wasting a significant amount of money on a study if nothing significant is found. This job can be high stress, especially since they may be conducting studies that are backed by millions of dollars. Scientists typically work long hours and carry out highly technical research. Although many scientists and chemists would never take there lives, it would appear that people working these particular occupations die by suicide more frequently than most others. Military Personnel & Veterans What about those working in the United States military? Doesn’t the stress accumulated on the job often lead to suicide? According to 2013 research in the Journal of the American Medical Association, various factors such as long deployments, multiple deployments, and experience in combat didn’t tend to increase suicide rates. This research demonstrated that approximately half of all troops that engaged in suicide had never actually been deployed. Despite the fact that suicide rates among troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan had drastically increased (by double) until 2009, the rates among those who were never deployed actually tripled. Suicide among those in the military tends to fluctuate based on whether our country is currently at war. The potential risk of being deployed into combat is often what leads many people to take their own life. Suicide rates for military personnel have dropped since 2009. The rate among active-duty personnel is suggested to be roughly 18 suicides per 100,000 troops. This number was higher pre-2009 when troops were constantly being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. It is difficult to compare military personnel to other careers simply due to the fact that most people serve a brief stint in the military, whereas other careers tend to be lifelong. Many people have suggested that
military suicides are common, but not necessarily among
active-duty members. They are more likely to occur among
veterans who have served and had to deal with PTSD. If we
are considering veterans, who take their lives at nearly
double the rate of the average population, they would likely
be at the top of the list. National
Occupational Mortality Surveillance When attempting to determine exact fields with the highest suicide rates, it is difficult to determine the accuracy of the collected data. Therefore, the information cannot necessarily be taken with 100% confidence. The above list is just to give you a general idea of what professions likely carry greater suicide rates than others. Back in 2011, writers for the publication Business Insider collected data from the NIOSH that examined suicide rates by occupation. They took a look at causes of death from 1984 to 1998 and they used white males with occupations that had over 1,000 deaths. So all occupations and other races were ruled out in their data extraction process. The reason they had to use white males is due to the fact that there is a greater demographical representation of them. Suicide by Occupation (Business Insider) Below is a list that was developed in 2011 by Business Insider based off of information that they collected. Marine engineers seems to carry slightly greater risk of suicide compared to doctors and dentists. Their list consists of 19 occupations with the highest rates of suicide and includes some unexpected professions like “hand molders” and “lathe operators.” Marine engineers (1.89X) 35 suicides Medical Doctors (1.87X) 476 suicides Dentists (1.67X) 148 suicides Veterinarians (1.54X) 39 suicides Financial services (1.51X) 170 suicides Chiropractors (1.5X) 43 suicides Construction / equipment supervisors (1.46X) 35 suicides Urban planners / social scientists (1.43X) 148 suicides Hand molders (1.39X) 48 suicides Real estate sales (1.38X) 460 suicides Electrical equipment assemblers (1.36X) 89 suicides Lawyers / Judges (1.33X) 445 suicides Lathe / turning machine operators (1.33X) 44 suicides Farm managers (1.32) 94 suicides Heat training equipment operators (1.32) 34 suicides Electricians (1.31X) 439 suicides Precision woodworkers (1.3X) 203 suicides Pharmacists (1.29X) 147 suicides Natural Scientists (1.28X) 353 suicides Source: www.businessinsider.com/most-suicidal-occupations-2011-10
Occupational
suicide rates for white women, black men, black women White females: Further examination of data revealed that white women as “physicians” were significantly more likely to commit suicide than average. Their rate is approximately 2.78 times that of a woman working a general occupation. The second most problematic field for women was typically “sales” with a 2.43 greater suicide rate than other occupations. Finally, working as a police officer was the third most likely culprit for suicide among women with a rate 2.03 times greater than other fields. Black males: Most evidence suggests that black males working as “police officers” (and/or detectives) are nearly 2.55 times as likely to commit suicide as other fields. The second highest suicide rates among black males are found in the occupation of “furnace operators” at approximately 2.55 times the average rate. Thirdly, a black male working as an “electrician” seemed to carry the next highest suicide rate at approximately 1.78 times the average. Black females: The greatest suicide rates are typically found in “protective service” careers among black females at a rate of 2.78 times the average. Next greatest rate was “sales” careers just like those of white females which lead to double the risk of suicide compared to average. Finally the third highest occupation in terms of suicide rates among black females was “packaging service operations” with a rate of 1.96 times the average. What causes suicide in these professions? It should be noted that in each specific career, the exact causal factors may differ. (Read: Common Causes of Suicide). For example, those working as doctors may deal with high stress and have easy access to potent drugs – making overdose easier than average. Other careers such as those working in the financial industry may lose a significant amount of business due to a bust economy, contributing to significant depression. In other cases such as that of a farmer, working in total isolation may contribute to depression and a suicidal ideation. Regardless of the specific factors for each field, it is important to also remember that each individual case is different. Two doctors may commit suicide for completely different reasons… one may have been battling a mental illness, and another may have simply cracked as a result of high stress and long-hours. Therefore we cannot always generalize potential causal factors based on occupation – individual factors often play a major role. Also recognize that plenty of individuals who work in the aforementioned jobs with the “highest suicide rates” are actually less likely than average to die via suicide. For example, it is estimated that over 95% of medical doctors have a higher quality of life and greater individual mental and physical health than average. So just because suicide rates for this occupation are high, the majority of professionals in this field are actually at less of a risk than the average population. British Suicide Rates by Occupation (1980s to 2000s) A 2013 study published in the BMJ collected mortality statistics, census-based information, and death files for the years 1979-1980, 1982-1983, and 2001-2005. They measured suicide rates based on how frequently it occurred based on every 100,000 individuals in the population. This study was not based in the United States, rather it attempted to compare suicide rates for all possible occupations in Britain. Additionally, they wanted to determine how suicide rates across various occupations have changed over the past 30 years and some factors that may make certain people more prone to suicide. 1979-1980 / 1982-1983 Veterinarians In the early 1980s there were professions with high suicide rates that appeared to plummet by the 2000s. Occupations with increases in suicide rates over time were all considered “manual” occupations. Comparatively, occupations with suicide rates that decreased over time were generally professional and/or non-manual. 2001-2005 Coal miners Researchers concluded that
socioeconomic factors play a significant role in the
influence of suicide rates throughout Britain. Oddly enough,
the increase in suicide rates among those working manual
labor jobs often occurred during a time of “economic
prosperity.” Most people assume that during tough
economic times, suicide rates would rise for these jobs, but
authors found the opposite to be true. Suicide Rates:
High Skill vs. Low Skill Jobs They included 34 studies in their meta-analysis. Results demonstrated that “Elementary” jobs (e.g. cleaners, laborers, etc.) were at greater risk of suicide compared to the working-age population. Machine operators, deck crew members, and agricultural workers were also found to have elevated risk of suicide based on results from the meta-analysis. Their findings suggest that lower skilled occupations may carry greater risk of suicide compared to the highest-skill occupations. Due to the fact that this research is
limited to Britain, we cannot speculate that their findings
are also true in the United States. It would be interesting
to conduct an international comparison across established
first-world countries to determine which occupations
consistently carry greater suicide rates than others. Since
this meta-analysis was the first of its kind to be
conducted, follow up research is certainly warranted –
especially to determine why lower-skilled jobs had greater
rates of suicide. France: Suicide
by Occupation (2010) Suicide attempts were greater in women (6.6%) compared to men (3.1%), but men had greater rates of mortality. In regards to occupation, individuals at the greatest risk for suicide were: Salaried These individuals had the greatest
number of suicide attempts and a significant degree of
fatalities. Executives, on the other hand, had the least
suicide attempts and fatalities. Farmers didn’t appear
to have any more suicide attempts than average, but had the
highest rate of mortality if suicide was attempted. For
women specifically, working in the “agricultural
industry” or with “equipment goods” had
greater risk of mortality from suicide. Factors that
may increase suicide rates in occupational settings Accessibility to suicide methods: Many of the jobs listed above have easy access to a particular suicide method. For example, police officers have access to an array of firearms, which are often used for suicide. Doctors and dentists have easy access to pharmaceutical drugs that could be used for overdose. Competition: In various occupations, competition is fierce, which drives down earning potential and makes it tougher to establish yourself. Examples of careers with fierce competition include financial advising, real estate, farming, and lawyers. Health risks: Many careers contain significant health risks. A farmer may often apply pesticide to their crops, and actually become poisoned over time. An electrician may accumulate a significant amount of electrical radiation, which may detrimentally affect their health. nstability: Any job that is at the mercy of external factors such as the weather, housing market, etc. is often unstable. When a farmer loses his entire annual crop as a result of a drought, or a real estate agent can’t find work due to a poor economy, they may become depressed and suicidal due to lack of control over their situation. Overworking: Individuals in some of these professions often get caught up in overworking and/or working long-hours. This leads to increased stress and the person feeling as if they are enslaved to their particular job with no escape. Perfectionism: Occupations such as doctors, lawyers, and dentists require perfectionism to deliver optimal care to their clients. All it takes is one slip up and a malpractice lawsuit could be filed against them. In the case of a lawyer, one slip up means losing a big case. A mistake for an electrician working with high voltage power could be fatal. Shift work: Some jobs require a person to work “shift work” which interferes with a person’s sleep cycle and takes a toll on mental health. For example, a physician working the night-shift of an emergency room may become more depressed than average. Social isolation: Certain jobs require working long hours, isolated from social interaction. An example would be the farmer that spends all day working by himself, maybe occasionally interacting with helping farmhands. Stress: Perhaps the most obvious factor in all the professions is that they are considered high-stress. Not many professions are considered “stress-free” but many of the occupations listed above have greater than average stress rates. What to do if your profession is making you suicidal? If you or someone you know is suicidal, the best thing you can do is to seek immediate medical attention and reach out for help. You may want to read the article “I Want to Die / Kill Myself” for ideas of what you can do to cope with feeling suicidal. If your particular occupation is making you depressed and you’ve become suicidal as a result, you may need to take a step back, and honestly re-evaluate your priorities. Many people get so caught up in work that they forget that their own mental health and performance is more important than a career. For this reason, its often common to see people experience “burn out” or a nervous breakdown from a job, and then switch careers to one that is more suitable to their personality and ability to cope with stress. If you work with someone that you believe may be suicidal, be sure to understand potential suicide warning signs and suicide risk factors. Realize that suicidal ideation is
typically a result of a complex system rather than just a
person’s occupation. While certain occupations tend to
statistically reveal higher suicide rates, there are often
many other, more obvious factors such as mental illness,
physical illness, or a traumatic experiences that are the
bigger contributing factors. Feel free to share your
thoughts and comments below regarding occupations and
suicide. |
