Why do dentists have the highest suicide rate?
I’m stil not sure if this is just some joke that got out of hand, or if it’s true, but I’ve heard it many times, and not just off of The Whole Nine Yards. My question is, is this true, and if so, why? I can understand if dentistry students have a high suicide rate, but why a dentist? They make great money, their job seems interesting, and chalanging at times, plus they have great hours, and don’t have to deal with people dying right in front of them like medical doctors do. Does anyone know the deal about dentists being suicidal?
Tagged with: Dentist • dentistry students • Dentists • job • joke • medical doctors • money • suicide rate • whole nine yards
Filed under: Dentists
This is one of those dodgy things that "everybody knows." And not just the uninformed public, either–dentists themselves believe it. Since the 1960s dental journals have been carrying articles with headlines like "The Suicidal Professions." Dozens of studies have looked at suicide not only among dentists but among health-care workers in general. With few exceptions, research over the past 40 years has found that dentists (and doctors) take their own lives at a higher-than-average rate. But how much higher? To hear some tell it, you’d better not leave these guys in a room alone.
Dentists’ odds of suicide "are 6.64 times greater than the rest of the working age population," writes researcher Steven Stack. "Dentists suffer from relatively low status within the medical profession and have strained relationships with their clients–few people enjoy going to the dentist." One study of Oregon dentists found that they had the highest suicide rate of any group investigated. A California study found that dentists were surpassed only by chemists and pharmacists. Of 22 occupations examined in Washington state, dentists had a suicide rate second only to that of sheepherders and wool workers.
But the sheer diversity of results has to make you suspicious. I mean, which is it–dentists, chemists and pharmacists, or sheepherders and wool workers? (What, the bleating gets to them?) And what about psychiatrists? One school of popular belief holds that they have the highest suicide rate.
Read the studies and you begin to see the problem. Suicide research is inherently a little flaky, in part because suicides are often concealed. Equally important from a statistical standpoint is the problem of small numbers: dentists represent only a small fraction of the total population, only a small fraction of them die in a given year, and only a small fraction of those that die are suicides. So you’ve got people drawing grand conclusions based on tiny samples. For example, I see where the Swedes think their male dentists have an elevated suicide rate. Number of male-dentist suicides on which this finding is based: 18.
But you aren’t reading this column to hear me whine about the crummy data. You want the facts. Coming right up. All we need to do, for any occupation of interest, is (a) find a large, reasonably accurate source of mortality statistics, (b) compute suicides as a percentage of total deaths for said group, and (c) compare that percentage with some benchmark, like so:
PERCENTAGE OF DEATHS DUE TO SUICIDE
U.S. white male population 25 and older (1970): 1.5
U.S. white male dentists (1968-72): 2.0 (85 of 4,190)
U.S. white male medical doctors (1967-72): 3.0 (544 of 17,979)
U.S. white male population 25 and older (1990): 2.0
U.S. white male medical doctors (1984-95): 2.7 (379 of 13,790)
I didn’t know about it.
Actually, according to actuarial statistics, they do not, quite the opposite.
That would fall into the modern urban myth category. Probably a skewed observation that made it into the culture at a vulnerable time and place, same as other modern urban myths.
i wouldn’t wanna sit in 1 room all day looking at teeth. but that’s just me.
because they deal with so much pain caused to other people.
every body hates dentists therefore they hate themselves
Urban myth.
They say this because of stress it causes, and stress can lead to depression. But hey you ever got a job? Someone tell me a job that never caused us stress. This isn’t true, it just something people like to point out because the work environment they work in and when clients are stressed (since its the dentist) can pass to dentists too.
Yea. The statistic have been getting better over the last few decades. Dentist deal with alot of "stress" from patients, staff, running a business, family, relationships ect. When one of them gets out of control they have a hard time coping with it. They are generally Type A personality people who have to have control of everything. When they cant control something they crack! But believe me it is a great profession it requires some flexibility and balance in all areas of your life. By the way Dentist are not the highest on the suicide rate.
~~~Dentist are a very unappreciated breed of Drs. They have gone to Medical School, And they are Doctors. But if you tell a Physician that a Dentist is a Dr,,,they will scorn and say they are not a real Dr. Imagine you go to work everyday,,,threw the back door of your office, you are dealing with Pts that say "I hate it here" ,,, "I dont want to be here" "I dont like you because its to scary at the Dentist office" "Your going to hurt me" There is not alot of Social interaction in this job because your Pts cannot talk during the procedure. We all need Social interaction. So to be very unappreciated and hated for a career that is so important and our dental health is extreamly important for the rest of our body,,,,I can see why depression would set in and eventually suicide. We need to appreciate our dentists,,,
im not sure that what ur sayin is true but if it is i’m guessing its because everyone hates them making them feel unwanted leading to depression then suicide.
I was a dental assistant for over 13 years. I used to mix the Dental amalgams (silver fillings). They are at least 50% mercury. The Dr all day long removes old amalgams, places new amalgams all have mercury. And the old amalgams are "sucked up’ in the suction which goes to the general water supply hmmmm. And thik about it……They inhale mercury ALL DAY LONG. The ADA says this is OK. It makes me want to say hmmmm Mercury is the 2nd most poisonous substance on earth! And we put this in our mouths? And the ADA says it’s ok even though they have a patent on amalgams….conflict of interest…hmmmm
Suicide and Dentists
This is simply not true.
http://jada.ada.org/cgi/reprint/132/6/786.pdf
http://www.dentalcomfortzone.com/Template.asp?TemplateID=263
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1175/is_6_34/ai_82261832
penny is absolutely correct.
this subject was talked about a great deal when
I worked at EDC. I also worked in my husband’s office for years and that is all we heard all day. Oh, Dr. ===== you are great but I really hate you, I hate to be here. This is the worst place to be. I can’t believe I have to be here. and so on.
Well you know what…..that sucks. the patient wanted to be there. we did not force them to come in. drove me crazy. but anyway like I said Penny hit the nail on the head.
I also agree with Penny, 150%. People should be thankful for their dentist. I never understood why people hate the dentist so much - it’s never been a big deal to me. My grandmother says that it’s because I’ve never had to go for any reason other than a cleaning twice a year & that I should count my blessings. She told me that her family couldn’t afford things like the dentist when she was growing up. She was in her 40s the first time she went & it wasn’t pleasant. There are alot of people who can’t afford it and are forced to suffer. Ever seen Cast Away? I can’t comprehend a level of pain so great that I would have to knock my own tooth out with an ice skate. The dentist is SO IMPORTANT……..