British Veterinarians Kill Themselves at High Rates

Suicide rates among British veterinarians are high, according to the article you can read by clicking post title.

Possible reasons listed are the handiness of barbituates, since suicide is often an impulsive act, and that maybe since veterinarians practise euthanasia to end suffering that some veterinarians may see it as a viable way to end any suffering they might be going through.

Also listed as possible reasons behind higher depression rates in veterinarians are the recent outbreaks of diseases like foot and mouth that have required mass slaughter of farm animals. This is hard on professionals dedicated to saving animals.

Another thought is that the profession attracts the brightest people, who have personality traits that make them prone to depression, like perfectionism and dedication. And, a US vet suggested, the dilemmas involving patient care, in which owners often will not or can not pay for procedures that would save a life, can put vets into a position where they must kill relatively healthy patients.

The person who did the research on veterinarian suicide rates in Britain is a veterinarian himself, who went through a bout of severe depression.