Many Surgeons Have Contemplated Suicide, Study Finds

TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds that as many as one in 16 U.S. surgeons harbored suicidal thoughts in the previous year, but few sought help from a mental-health professional.

Researchers analyzed surveys completed by 7,905 members of the American College of Surgeons in 2008 and found that 501 (6.3 percent) said they had thought about suicide within the past year.

Surgeons more likely to report suicidal thoughts included those who were aged 45 and older; they were 1.5 to three times more likely to have such thoughts than people in the general population. Divorced surgeons also had a higher risk. Being married and having children was associated with a lower risk, the study found.

"The perception of having made a major medical error in the previous three months was associated with a threefold increased risk of suicidal ideation, with 16.2 percent of surgeons who reported a recent major error experiencing suicidal ideation compared with 5.4 percent of surgeons not reporting an error," wrote Dr. Tait D. Shanafelt, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Only 130 (26 percent) of surgeons with suicidal thoughts sought help from a psychiatrist or psychologist, while 301 (60.1 percent) said they were reluctant to seek help because they thought it might affect the status of their medical license.

Of the 461 surgeons who said they had taken antidepressants in the past year, 41 (8.9 percent) wrote their own prescriptions and 34 (7.4 percent) received the prescription from a friend who wasn't formally caring for them as a patient.

Further research is needed to learn more about the factors that contribute to the higher rate of suicidal thoughts among surgeons, along with efforts to help surgeons and eliminate barriers that might make them reluctant to seek help, the Mayo Clinic researchers concluded.

The study appears in the January issue of the Archives of Surgery.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discusses suicide prevention.

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Health Buzz: Smoking Damages DNA Within Minutes, Study Finds

Study: Smoking Causes Rapid Damage

Cigarettes damage the body within minutes of taking a puff, new research suggests. In a small study, scientists tracked the level of a chemical associated with cancer—one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)—in 12 smokers and found it began damaging their DNA within 15 to 30 minutes of finishing a cigarette, according to a report published in the American Chemical Society's journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. "Almost everybody knows that smoking can cause lung cancer," Martin Dockrell, director of policy and research at the advocacy group Action on Smoking and Health, told BBC News. "The chilling thing about this research is that it shows just how early the very first stages of the process begin—not in 30 years, but within 30 minutes of a single cigarette. But it is never too late to quit."

Optimism Protects Teens From Depression, Health Risks

Parents are always telling kids they need to be optimistic, but there hasn't been much evidence that optimism really does them any good. Looking on the bright side may even hurt teenagers, say some experts, because it can make them downplay the risks posed by smoking and drug abuse. That's in stark contrast to older adults, who are generally healthier and happier the more optimistic they are, writes U.S. News contributor Nancy Shute.

But researchers in Australia say that optimism may help protect teenagers against depression. That news, reported in the journal Pediatrics, could matter to many teens, since 10 to 15 percent of adolescents have symptoms of depression at any given time. Depression is a huge risk factor for suicide and increases the risk of substance abuse, trouble in school and relationships, and physical illness.

The researchers followed 5,634 Australian 12- and 13-year-olds for 18 months, asking them about their psychological state, substance abuse, and antisocial behavior. The more optimistic the students were, the less likely they were to become depressed. But there was just a modest effect on other common teen problems. For instance, optimistic teenagers were only slightly less likely to be involved in criminal activity or heavy substance abuse. [Read more: Optimism Protects Teens From Depression, Health Risks.]

2011 Fitness Trends: What's In, What's Out

Fitness is always in, but the hunt for a magic way to achieve a healthy heart or a taut butt or abs with the most gain and the least pain never ends. As it does annually, the American College of Sports Medicine has surveyed more than 2,000 fitness professionals in Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, and North and South America to identify health and fitness trends for the coming year.

Wellness coaching, for example, is in, U.S. News reports. One-on-one coaching is relatively new, but experts think it has staying power. A wellness coach typically charges $75 to $100 an hour to work with you not only on fitness but also on nutrition, weight management, and stress reduction. The goal is to guide clients towards a more healthful lifestyle, sometimes designing exercise programs or detailed meal plans. And they're advice-givers to clients who are trying to quit smoking or overcome a weight-loss obstacle. "A wellness coach might get a call from a client who's sitting at a restaurant, saying, 'I'm torn between the leg of lamb and the roast beef, which one should I get?'" says Walt Thompson, the survey's lead researcher and a professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University. "People are realizing they need someone to coach them through a more healthy way of life." [Read more: 2011 Fitness Trends: What's In, What's Out.]

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