Medical Student & Physician Suicide Awareness
Global rates of depression continue to rise, and the World Health Organization claims depression will be the most common disease by 2030. Rates of depression among medical students and physicians, however, already greatly surpass that of the U.S. general population, and depression is currently a leading contributor to medical student and physician death by suicide. Ironically, while physicians are trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses, they are less likely than members of the general population to seek treatment for their own mental illness. As leaders in medical education, the various medical schools across the state of Michigan are addressing this issue from the perspective of prevention, as well as to collaborate with other health-related organizations to address effective response strategies for the colleagues and loved ones of medical students and physicians who die by suicide.
