Suicide isn’t a pleasant topic, but it is a reality in society. People may commit suicide for many reasons, but research has shown that some people may have a higher pre-disposition for committing suicide. Many factors are included in determining who has a higher risk for suicide than others, including chronic depression, family history, stress and more. One little looked at fact though is that research has clearly shown some jobs or career fields have a statistically higher incidence of suicide than others.
One reason for this may be that people with similar personality traits tend to gravitate to the same career fields, and certain personalities are shown to be more prone to suicide than others. Additionally, higher stress jobs where responsibility is higher than average, where other’s lives may be in the hands of the worker, or where stress is extreme may cause emotional and mental strain on the employee.
In other words, your may literally be killing you!
Let’s take a look at which jobs have the highest incidence of suicide rates in America today.
One website, The Straight Dope includes a quote from Steven Stack that says, “Dentists’ odds of suicide “are 6.64 times greater than the rest of the working age population…” The website also indicates that male doctors and dentists both are well above average for suicide rates among American workers.
In fact, health care professions in general show a higher than average suicide rate. This is especially true of those in emergency services, EMTs and paramedics who respond to crisis calls.
Beyond healthcare fields, finding jobs that have a higher suicide incidence was difficult, since many states do not report the cause of death and the occupation on death certificates. However, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has research performed approximately 10 years ago that indicates separating suicide rates by occupation is difficult to do, but they clearly presented three specific conclusions:
1) White male physicians have a higher than average suicide rate.
2) Black male guards (excluding correctional institution guards) have a higher than average suicide rate.
3) White female painters, sculptors and artists have a higher than average suicide rate.
In the end, most experts appear to agree that work or career alone cannot be used as a determining factor of suicide risk, with the obvious exception of the professions listed above. The risk of suicide mostly centers around things such as mental disorder, loss of family and friend support, substance abuse and the like.
However, it should be noted that a person with any of these issues that are risk factors for suicide who are working in high stress fields or careers can find that their jobs can add to the stress and the risk factors that already exist.
If you suffer from thoughts of suicide, have attempted suicide or know someone who has done either, there is help. For additional information about suicide, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call their toll-free, 24/7 hotline at 1-800-273-TALK.
