Association of nurse, physician occupations with suicide risk

Editor's Note

The findings of this study from the University of Michigan Schools of Nursing and Medicine, Ann Arbor, suggest a significantly increased suicide risk for nurses in the US, compared to the general population, but not for physicians.

This cohort study using data from 2007 to 2018 includes suicides among 2,374 nurses, 857 physicians, and 156,141 individuals in the general population.

Suicide incidence rates per 100,000 for women were 17.1 for nurses, 10.1 for physicians, and 8.6 for the general population.

Suicide incidence rates per 100,000 for men were 31.1 for nurses, 31.5 for physicians, and 32.6 for the general population.

The presence of antidepressants, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and opiates was more common in clinician suicides than those in the general population.