New guidelines to help anaesthetists at risk of suicide
Forming the largest speciality group of doctors in NHS hospitals, anaesthetists are thought be at increased risk of suicide amongst the medical profession. New guidelines, published today (21 November) in the journal Anaesthesia, aim to increase awareness of suicide and its risk factors and offer support to individuals, departments and organisations in coping with a suicide.
Suicide is a major public health issue in the UK. There are a number of theories as to why anaesthetists are at particular risk of suicide, such as: access to, and knowledge of, potentially lethal drugs, the particular stresses of working within the speciality; and the personality type of doctors entering anaesthesia.
A recent survey* by the Association of Anaesthetists highlighting the experiences of almost 1,400 anaesthetists who have lost a colleague through suicide whilst working in the same department, revealed a concerning lack of policies on mental illness, addiction and suicide in NHS trusts. These new recommendations address this gap by bringing together relevant resources specifically for anaesthetists or anaesthetic departments.
Key recommendations in the guidelines include:
- Improving the recording of suicide as a cause of death
- All anaesthetists have a part to play in supporting the mental wellbeing of colleagues
- All anaesthetic departments should have a lead person supporting the mental health of staff.
- There should be ongoing education within departments and organisations about suicide and safer ways to intervene, including efforts to counter the stigma associated with mental ill health.
- Individuals at particular risk should be encouraged to draw up a ‘safety plan’.
- All departments should have a plan for managing staff-related crises including death by suicide.
Dr Samantha Shinde, Co-chair of the Association of Anaesthetists suicide in anaesthetists working party and immediate past Vice President of the Association of Anaesthetists, said: “There has been increasing concern recently about stress and mental health in general, and suicide in particular, in the medical profession.
Supporting anaesthetists’ well-being is one of the main activities of the Association of Anaesthetists and through these new guidelines we want to raise awareness of some of the indicators that tell us a colleague may be at risk and how we can support them, on an individual and organisational level. Educational activity to help reduce the stigma of mental ill health and offering personal support to a colleague who appears to be struggling are just some of the ways we can all help.”
*July 2019, Anaesthesia, suicide amongst anaesthetists – an Association of Anaesthetists survey https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/anae.14727