Veterinarians are far more likely to kill themselves than people with most other jobs, according to a report published Thursday.
Female vets in the United States commit suicide 3.5 times more often than the general public, while male vets take their own lives 2.1 times as frequently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in the study.
Vets tend to suffer from depression because they’re burdened by sky-high student loans on par with physicians, according to the report, which examined data from 11,620 deceased veterinarians between 1979 and 2015.
But compared with physicians, vets earn tens of thousands of dollars less annually on average.
In total, 37 percent of vets who committed suicide did it with pharmaceuticals, including ones used to mercy-kill sick cats and dogs, according to the report, which was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The tear-jerking task of putting Felix and Fido to sleep may also be linked to depression, according to the study — which notes, “knowledge and acceptance of euthanasia procedures” plays a role in the profession’s soaring suicide rates.
The act of putting animals to sleep can skew the way some vets view life itself, the researchers said.
“Veterinarians are trained to view euthanasia as an acceptable method to relieve suffering in animals, which can affect the way veterinarians view human life, including a reduced fear about death, especially among those experiencing suicidal ideation,” the report states.
Other factors include a “poor work-life balance” and a tendency to be “a perfectionist,” according to the CDC. “The veterinary-school application process commonly [calls for] perfectionism to meet the rigorous veterinary school academic requirements,” the report notes. “However, perfectionism has been associated with higher risk for developing mental illnesses, including anxiety and depression.”
Overall, most vets committed suicide with a gun. Roughly 75 percent worked at small practices.
In 2014, a survey of more than 11,000 veterinarians found that 9 percent had serious psychological distress and 31 percent had gone through depressive episodes. Roughly 17 percent admitted to fantasizing about killing themselves after leaving veterinary school.
