PART A: Health Issues in Professional Practice
Suicide in the Veterinary Profession a summary of: Bartram, D. and Baldwin, D. (2010). Veterinary surgeons and suicide: a structured review of possible influences on increased risk. Veterinary Record, 166(13), pp.388-397.
As a profession, Veterinary surgeons have a proportional mortality ration (PMR) for suicide; twice the amount of healthcare professions and four times more likely than the general population. This paper reviews recent literature in order to summarise influences on increased risk of suicide.
Suicidal behaviour is described in this paper as a continuum of gradually increasing seriousness: feeling that life is not worth living, thoughts of taking ones own life, seriously considering
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The combination of a small profession along with social networking makes knowledge of individual cases more accessible.
Cognitive and personality factors: The relationship between personality traits and vocational interest could mean that the veterinary profession is more vulnerable to suicide.
Work related stressors: Psychological ill health due to the demands of work such as long hours, work overload, pressure, and complaints.
Psychiatric illness: Depression and substance misuse.
The factors listed above were incorporated into a hypothetical model to explain the risk of suicide.
The paper discusses the need for further research to inform the development and implementation of suitable interventions. They suggest interviews with veterinary surgeons that have experienced suicidal thoughts and an examination of coroner’s reports on deaths of veterinary surgeons that received a verdict of suicide in order to identify proximal risk factors.
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Bartram, D. and Baldwin, D. (2010). Veterinary surgeons and suicide: a structured review of possible influences on increased risk. Veterinary Record, 166(13),
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It is important to listen and respond to them and try to help them to see other alternatives. As this could be a lifesaving intervention, I would ensure they were not left alone and if I felt my colleague was at high risk of suicide, I would contact the emergency services, family members or loved ones.
Although talking to someone about their feelings can help them feel safe and secure, it will probably require long-term support to help someone overcome their suicidal thoughts. This will be easier with professional help and there are a number of support networks that I would advise my colleague to contact.
Vetlife is an independent charity which provides anonymous, confidential mental health support and help to members of the veterinary profession. They provide support and guidance to people who are suffering with mental health issues but also to people who are trying to help someone cope with mental health
The purpose of this article was to inform readers of the thoughts and feelings of patients, families, and physicians. This article informs others of what is really in the thoughts of people going through physician assisted suicide. The audience can be anyone from other physicians to patients and families or anyone who wants to read about this topic. This article can help explain why physician assisted suicide has more positive than negatives. It helps to explain the thought process and feelings of someone who had to really consider this as an option.
...colm, D., & Scott, A. (2012). Suicide, Sport and Medicine. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(16), 1092-1093. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-090974
Marker and Hamlon. “Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Frequently Asked Questions.” International Task Force. 2009. .
All trained professionals associating with possible suicidal veterans need additional training, so they are capable of handling the situations and noticing the signs of suicide. Mazza, Giuliana, and Puskar emphasize the idea of evaluating the safety of every patient during each encounter is very important (4). Trained professionals should never miss an opportunity to prevent suicide from occurring. There is also a need for professionals to understand what the soldier went through during active duty, but they must also fight the stigma that a soldier asking for help is a sign of weakness. In an article John McCarthy et al. agrees that professionals have to be capable of reviewing patients risk for suicide, but it requires a high level of clinical skill, and the ability to give soldiers a reason to trust (1935). Bossarte, Claassen, and Knox add that both the psychological and physical trauma connected to combat increases the risk for suicide (460). When soldiers are injured in war they are often medicated on the battlefield with drugs so they can return to the war as quickly as possible (McCarl 409). This can led to veteran’s dependency on drugs, or the idea that they need to suppress feelings and emotions and it is easier than dealing with them. The veteran coming home needs access to trained assistance at all times, but those assisting have to truly care and want to prevent anything bad from happening to the new veteran. McCarl mentions the situations when Randen, a soldier, seeks help numerous times from the VA, but he is sent home repeatedly without any help. Continuously seeking assistance is a cry for help and signifies the severity of the situation for that soldier (Mazza, Guiliana, and
Battin, Margaret P., Rosamond Rhodes, and Anita Silvers, eds. Physician Assisted Suicide: Expanding the Debate. New York: Routledge, 1998.
There has been very little literature presented on Physician Assistant Suicide and its relationship particularly to psychology, PAS is my opinion is in fact a psychological issue. Psychology by definition is a discipline that studies both the human mind and behavior and seeks to understand and provide explanation pertaining to thought, emotion, and behavior (Cherry, 2011). Applications of psychology can range from mental health, self- health, and a myriad of areas that can affect health and daily life (Cherry, 2011).
“In 2014, an average of 20 veterans died from suicide each day” (Thompson 1). Mental health care for veterans has been a long debated topic. For years people have debated whether or not veterans need more assistance, privatized health care, or a complete reform of the current veterans affairs programs. It should come as no surprise that with roughly 20 veterans committing suicide each day, this program needs help. Without help the mental health status of United States veterans will only continue to deteriorate, suicides will increase, and more people will go untreated.
"Assisted Suicide: Finding Common Ground." Lois Snyder, JD; and Authur L. Caplan, PhD. Annals of Internal Medicine. March 21, 2000. v.132, n.6
... but in reality they are trying to react to a devastating blow. They need to be reminded that people are hurt for them but do not know what to say or how to say it. Silence does not mean they are blaming or thinking badly of them. Survivors need to release their feelings and resolve their questions. Reading literature on suicide and grief is recommanded. This may offer understanding and suggestions for coping. They may need to seek out a competent counsellor. It is important to take care of oneself in order to help take care of the rest of the family. Alcohol and prescription drugs do not end the pain but merely mask it. These could lead to further withdrawal, loneliness and addiction. There are several hot lines for support groups and suicide prevention. Sometimes it is helpful to contact other survivors of a suicide. Community education is the key to prevention. Suicide prevention services are effective because the person doesn’t necessarily want to die he just wants to stop living like this, to stop the suffering.
Psychologist Lisa Firestone had come to a conclusion that the main driving factor behind suicide and suicide attempts was an inner voice which disconnected the individual from the real world and from selflessness. The voice centers around the ego and weakens the conscience of the individual, leading them to believe they are unworthy of living and undeserving of human love. She believes that human beings who have suicidal attempts do not do it out of their own accor...
Even though the journey to becoming a veterinarian will be a long and rigorous road ahead, in the end, it will all be worth it. Sixty five percent of animals around the world die from abuse or improper treatment, and as a future veterinarian, I want to start putting a stop to it now. “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” –Mahatma Gandhi.
Rosen, The Serious Suicide Attempt: Five Year Follow Up Study of 886 Patients, 235 J.A.M.A. 2105, 2105 (1976).
The social environment has failed to recognize the high rate of suicide in veterinarians. In the past few years, studies have shown that they complete suicide at four times the rate of the general population. Those developments sparked further research to try to figure out why the suicide rate was so substantial. If the system is the veterinary profession, than other subsystems involved would be veterinary school, veterinary hospitals, and private practice. Macro social environment parts of the system would be socioeconomic status of the area they practice, cost of school, and debt and expensive interest rates. Other systems involved that also have an affect on veterinarian suicide include family systems and client systems. Theories also
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. Print. The. Suicide and Suicidal Behaviors. Suicide : Medline Plus.
I would not force my client into talking if they aren't ready but discuss when their comfortable whenever they are ready in disclosing. Since I am aware of my background of suicidal and know what could be done to help those with suicidal tendencies I would do everything I can to help my client feel protected and safe. I would ask my client more about them and find out if their situation because I would not want them at risk of harm. Therefore, my awareness and reflection will not influence my work with a client that is suicidal. I will strive to assist helping the client to make sure they are not harming themselves, when did the suicidal thoughts begin, do they have a safety plan created, who they have in their support system, and what they can describe to me they like to do as their interests. All of this would be beneficial to me when assisting the client when finding out that they are suicidal since they are the one at risk of harm. I would try not put my influences of my past assist working with the client. Since I truly believe that each one person that comes in that seeks help deserves a chance turn their life around. Also, I wouldn't want them to feel that their personal experiences of religion and culture will intervene with our relationship when they disclose to me that they feel this