Physician Suicide Is a Daily Occurrence
Depression, burnout, and overwhelm have become status quo
Dr. Lorna M. Breen was the medical director of the emergency department at a hospital in New York. While caring for patients, she contracted Covid-19. She recovered and returned to work caring for patients. Then, on a brief vacation in April at home, Breen took her own life. Her colleagues describe her as a fun-loving and energetic servant leader dedicated to her community. Now, Breen is another tragic victim of physician suicide.
Pediatric resident Dr. Poulami Saha suffered from depression. In May, She jumped off the 11th floor of her hospital in Calcutta. In March, Daniela Trezzi, an ICU nurse in the hard-hit Lombardy region of Italy, took her own life. Reports indicate she could not move on from the fear that she may have infected patients under her care.
As National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month comes to a close in the midst of a global pandemic, a focus on the health needs of medical professionals (often a taboo subject) feels overdue. As the leader of a large OB-GYN practice in Texas, I see the mental health impact on doctors, nurses, and other health care workers every day.
