Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Vet Rec. 2020 May 2;186(15):e2. doi: 10.1136/vr.105430. Epub 2020 Mar 30.
Higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation and suicide risk have been reported for veterinarians in various studies worldwide. This study investigates whether this is also true for German veterinarians.
A total of 3.118 veterinarians (78.8 per cent female, mean age 41.3 years) between 22 and 69 years were included and compared with two general population samples of the same age range using the Suicide Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised and Patient Health Questionnaire.
Current suicidal ideation was found in 19.2 per cent of veterinarians, compared with only 5.7 per cent in the general population. 32.11 per cent of veterinarians were classified with increased suicide risk, compared with 6.62 per cent in the general population. 27.78 per cent of veterinarians screened positive for depression, compared with 3.99 per cent of the general population.
The study shows that veterinarians have an increased risk of depression and suicidal ideation and suicide risk compared with the general population in Germany. Similar to previous findings, the level of depression was higher among veterinarians than in the general population. However, this study does not explore causes for higher rates in depression, suicide risk and suicidal ideation. Since other studies strongly suggest specific risk factors lead to higher suicide risk and consequently elevated numbers of completed suicides, future research should focus on identifying and preventing causes.
在全球范围内的多项研究中，兽医的抑郁、自杀意念和自杀风险比率都有所增加。本研究旨在调查德国兽医是否也存在这种情况。
共纳入了 3118 名兽医（78.8%为女性，平均年龄为 41.3 岁），并与两个相同年龄范围的一般人群样本进行比较，使用自杀行为问卷修订版和患者健康问卷进行评估。
研究发现，兽医中有 19.2%的人存在当前的自杀意念，而一般人群中仅有 5.7%。兽医中有 32.11%被归类为自杀风险增加，而一般人群中仅有 6.62%。兽医中有 27.78%的人筛查出患有抑郁症，而一般人群中仅有 3.99%。
该研究表明，与德国一般人群相比，兽医的抑郁、自杀意念和自杀风险比率增加。与之前的发现相似，兽医的抑郁水平高于一般人群。然而，本研究并未探讨导致抑郁、自杀风险和自杀意念比率增加的原因。由于其他研究强烈表明，特定的风险因素会导致自杀风险增加，从而导致自杀死亡人数增加，因此未来的研究应集中于识别和预防这些原因。
