Since my original keynote 2 years ago: 33 orthopaedic surgeon suicides: How to prevent #34, we’ve lost 22 more orthopaedic surgeon to suicide. On September 10, 2020, at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, I share why each of these 55 doctors died died and how we can prevent future suicides among doctors. Afterwards we had 3.5 hours of Q&A and continued conversation (confidential, not recorded). Need to talk? Contact Dr. Wible here.
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Coronavirus pandemic increasing already high risk of doctor suicide →
Listen to the interview on Oregon Public Broadcasting here.
Rates of suicide for physicians are among the highest for any profession. And the strain of the coronavirus pandemic is making already strenuous working conditions nearly impossible to bear for some and impossible for others. We talk with two Oregon doctors involved in responding to the mental health crisis in medicine and ask what is being done to prevent it. Pamela Wible practices medicine in Eugene and is the author of “Human Rights Violations in Medicine: A-to-Z Action Guide.” Don Girard is professor emeritus at Oregon Health & Science University and chairs the executive committee of the Oregon Wellness Program.
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September 17th is Physician Suicide Awareness Day. Join me in honoring 93 doctors we lost to suicide. →
View the Wall of Remembrance (above) at the end of the newly released award-winning documentary, Do No Harm: Exposing the Hippocratic Hoax, a film that exposes our doctor suicide crisis and honors nearly 100 doctors who have died by suicide. Join me today in remembering them. View full-feature film by Emmy-winning filmmaker now on Amazon Prime.
Greg Hamlin Miday, M.D., Internist
Kevin Thomas Dietl, D.O., Degree Awarded Posthumously
Kaitlyn Nicole Elkins, Medical Student
Sean Michael Petro, Medical Student
Emily Ariel Bamberger, M.D.,Ph.D. Candidate
Jacob “Dr. J” Neufeld, M.D., M.P.H, Pediatric Physiatrist
John Chuan Loh, Medical Student
Gabriel Goodwin, M.D., Anesthesiologist
Evan Astin, M.D., Internal Medicine Resident
Gregory Andrew Collins, M.D., Family Physician
Lara Barnett, M.D., Internal Medicine Resident
Charles Christopher Martin, M.D., Family Medicine Resident
Carrie Ann Largent, Medical Student
William Samuel Brown, M.D., Radiologist
Robert Karoly Chu, M.D., M.P.H., Aspiring Radiologist
Jeremy Egnatios, Medical Student
Steven G. Ortiz, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgeon
Alan R. Rowlan, M.D., Surgeon
Kim Marie Walsh, M.D., M.P.H., Family Physician
Ross Alan Gallo, M.D., Psychiatrist
Abdurrahman Unal, M.D., Radiation Oncologist
Alain Bolduc, M.D., Dermatologist
Alex Djuricich, M.D., Internist and Pediatrician
Amanda Liu, D.O., Radiology Resident
Andrew Bryant, M.B.B.S., Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist
Benjamin Shaffer, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgeon
Boyd Dan Batla, Medical Student
Bryan Whitemarsh, M.D., Family Physician
Captain Michael McCaddon, M.D., Obstetrics/Gynecology Resident
Carol D. Lee, M.D., Emergency Physician
Chloe Eliza Abbott, M.B.B.S., Medical Registrar
Christine E. Petrich, M.D., Psychiatrist
Christopher Dawson, M.D., Surgeon
Corbin Shawn, M.D., M.S., Pathology Resident
Daniel Gunther, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinologist
David Gersztenkorn, M.D., Ophthalmology Resident
David Scott Brooks, M.D., Family Physician
Deelshad Joomun, M.D., Interventional Nephrologist
Douglas F. Meyer, M.D., M.P.H., Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist
Eric S. Steichen, Medical Student
Greg Feldman, M.D., Vascular Surgeon
Hans Christopher Machula, M.D., Degree Awarded Posthumously
Jack Andrew Singer, M.D., Ophthalmologist
James C. Kelly, D.O., Family Physician
James K. Bauman, M.D., Obstetrician/Gynecologist
James Ray Anderson, D.O., General Practitioner
James Wilson Dow, M.D., Cardiologist
Janet Y. Christophel, M.D., Anesthesiology Resident
Jeffrey Knobloch, D.O., Family Physician
John D. Wilson, Sr., M.D., Family Physician
John Franklin Dorsey, Medical Student
John Mark Baar, M.D., Psychiatrist
John Mark Madsen, Medical Student
John McNaugher Stang, M.D., Cardiologist
Jon Azkue, M.D., Internist
Jonathan J. Drummond-Webb, M.D., Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgeon
Jonathan W. R. Davies, M.D., Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Kelly Werlinger, M.D., Aspiring Dermatologist
Kurt A. Swanson, M.D., Anesthesiologist
Lee Ray Winkler, D.O., Obstetrics/Gynecology Resident
Leslie Gale Bluman, Medical Student
Marc E. Wise, M.D., J.D., Anesthesiology Resident
Mark A. Gonsky, D.O., General Practitioner
Mark William Sebastian, M.D., Vascular Surgeon
Matt Wittman, Medical Student
Matthew Carl Bishop, M.D., M.B.A., Emergency Physician
Mitchell D. Hardison, M.D., Internist
Myles K. Gaupp, Jr., M.D., Family Physician
Natalie Carol Sieb, D.O., Family Physician
Nehal A. Shah, M.D., Aspiring Family Physician
Neil Grover, Medical Student
Noah Chase Beadell, M.D., Neurologist
Paki Myers, M.D., Emergency Physician
Patrick Glenn Daus, D.O., Emergency Physician
Ramsey Oliver Coles, Medical Student
Richard Irwin Caesar, M.D., Addiction Specialist and Emergency Physician
Richard “Pete” Dickson, M.D., Family Physician
Rita E. Leighton, M.D., Anesthesiologist
Rita Kay Payne, M.D., Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Robert E. Elliott, M.D., Radiologist
Robert Shaw Bowling, Jr., M.D., Family Physician
Robert Wolyn, M.D., Cardiologist
Ronald Chance Brown, M.D., Internist
Roseanna Polge, B.M.B.S., Medical Intern
Russel J. Vancoevering, II, M.D., Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Scot Pencil, M.D., Ph.D., Pathologist
Shawn C. Kelley, M.D., Internist
Stephen P. Kelleher, M.D., Nephrologist
Steven L. Anthony, D.O., Otolaryngologist
Ted Eastburn, M.D., Cardiologist
Varun Babu, M.D., Cardiology Resident
Wayne Allen Hendrix, M.D., Anesthesiology Resident
Wayne M. Gunckle, D.O., Orthopaedic Surgeon
. . . and the thousands of unnamed doctors . . .
View documentary and help stop the crisis.
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New award-winning film exposes doctor suicide crisis →
View full-feature documentary by Emmy-winning filmmaker now on Amazon Prime.
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What To Do After a Doctor Suicide | Physician Suicide Postvention →
Doctor suicide is a public health crisis that claims the lives of an estimated 400 US doctors annually. Given each doctor cares for upwards of 2000 – 3000 active patients, more than one million Americans risk losing their doctors to suicide each year. Responding with compassion and honesty in the aftermath of a physician suicide is essential to helping loss survivors—colleagues, patients, and families—heal from the loss. In the absence of emotional support and open communication, loss survivors may experience lifelong impacts from the trauma that may increase their own suicide risk. To ameliorate these adverse effects, medical institutions must have a postvention plan in place that can be utilized in a timely manner.
After a recent suicide of an emergency physician in Washington State, I led 6 hours of crisis debriefing for the emergency staff and all doctors and staff of the hospital. Need help in the aftermath of a suicide? Please contact Dr. Wible for assistance in facilitating sessions and her manual on how medical institutions should respond to a doctor suicide to best help loss survivors heal.
Tags: doctor suicide crisis response, doctor suicide debriefing, doctor suicide postvention, How hospitals should respond to a doctor suicide, How to help staff after a doctor suicide, how to respond to a doctor suicide
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