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A Taboo Topic1/
#Suicide & #Medstudents
cc: @AAMCtoday
1. Yesterday, I learned a former classmate was taken by suicide.
2. This makes 3 classmates since I started med school in 2016.
3. Each loss is profoundly disturbing & upsetting.
2/
4. Studies suggest 1/3 of med students are depressed. I wouldn't be shocked if it was higher.
5. Why?
-High debt burden (200-400K)
-High stress (being tested to oblivion, always feeling the need to impress in the hospital, etc)
4. Studies suggest 1/3 of med students are depressed. I wouldn't be shocked if it was higher.
5. Why?
-High debt burden (200-400K)
-High stress (being tested to oblivion, always feeling the need to impress in the hospital, etc)
3/
-Lack of social support (new add on: extreme isolation due to Covid)
-Poor coping (blaming ourselves for never being good enough)
-Giving up your 20s while your peers are advancing personally & professionally.
-But what about:
Malignant school culture 
-Lack of social support (new add on: extreme isolation due to Covid)
-Poor coping (blaming ourselves for never being good enough)
-Giving up your 20s while your peers are advancing personally & professionally.
-But what about:
Malignant school culture
4/
6. Malignant school culture is largely unexplored. School's don't share suicide data for good (copycats) & stupid reasons (rankings). It seems evidence based care doesn't apply to students... how typical of the #medicalestablishment
This MUST change.
6. Malignant school culture is largely unexplored. School's don't share suicide data for good (copycats) & stupid reasons (rankings). It seems evidence based care doesn't apply to students... how typical of the #medicalestablishment
This MUST change.
5/
Conclusion:
Future docs are dying by suicide. This is a national crisis.I agree with @DrRedHeadnNeck & Dr. Miller of @MountSinaiNYC. Medical schools must make death by suicide data available so that we can begin to understand and work to reverse this unacceptable trend.
Conclusion:
Future docs are dying by suicide. This is a national crisis.I agree with @DrRedHeadnNeck & Dr. Miller of @MountSinaiNYC. Medical schools must make death by suicide data available so that we can begin to understand and work to reverse this unacceptable trend.
Reference: cc @DrRedHeadnNeck
Medical Student Deaths by Suicide: The Importance of... : Academic Medicine https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2019/04000/Medical_Student_Deaths_by_Suicide__The_Importance.17.aspx
cc: @aafp @ACPinternists @AmCollSurgeons @AmerMedicalAssn @APAPsychiatric @AcadMedJournal @StarTribune @nytimes
Now I sleep.
Medical Student Deaths by Suicide: The Importance of... : Academic Medicine https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2019/04000/Medical_Student_Deaths_by_Suicide__The_Importance.17.aspx
cc: @aafp @ACPinternists @AmCollSurgeons @AmerMedicalAssn @APAPsychiatric @AcadMedJournal @StarTribune @nytimes
Now I sleep.
