I will echo everything that Dr. Taylor has mentioned above.
"Suicides among veterinarians-both male and female-in the United States alone is three to five times higher than that of the general population. But this very serious issue of mental health and suicide rates in the veterinary community is not restricted to the US - multiple studies from Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom have also described higher-than-expected deaths from suicide". And this is not limited to veterinarians alone unfortunately.
Psychology today wrote a brief but very readable summary of some of the important issues:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/zooeyia/202311/silent-suffering-the-high-rate-of-suicide-in-veterinarians
The American Foundation for the prevention of suicide also has some good resources available online.
The pipeline for veterinary medicine in my opinion is (in my opinion) not as stout, or readily visible as human medicine is. There are many individuals trying to tackle this on their own by visiting schools/doing career day events, giving speeches (or podcasts!) etc and there are some great programs trying to help provide access to all students no matter their background. Exposure to vet med EARLY is the key- ideally by middle school.
I have included some great programs below!
https://vet.purdue.edu/vetahumanz/origin/
https://www.blend.vet (As I mentioned on the podcast)
https://pawsibilitiesvetmed.com/about/ (this program works with students young vets no matter where they are in their career to help provide mentorship and support).
Remember, there are only 33 vet schools in the US (with 12 new ones on the horizon and/or in progress) vs 155 (MD/DO programs) in the US (both 2024 stats).
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Michelle Moyal
Veterinary Communications Manager
Purina North America
NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-06-2025 09:47 AM
From: Raye Taylor
Subject: Community Conversations - 5/5/2025 - A Discussion on Veterinary Barriers
Suicide incidence in the Veterinary profession is painful to witness. The more we talk about, the more everyone is aware, and can support themselves or colleagues by knowing what it looks like and where to turn to or how to offer support.
Because unfortunately, suicide rates amongst Veterinarians (and likely veterinary paraprofessionals) are startling. Female and Male Veterinarians have higher suicide rates than the general population, with female veterinarians alarmingly higher, all elevated compared to other medical professions. If each of us becomes aware of what we are facing and the resources each of us can add to the army of people watching our colleagues and working to prevent losing anyone else. Thanks @Christina Veloz for this question and comment
There are some resources for veterinary professionals that are highly valuable for anyone who associates with veterinarians (all of us).
1. Please visit and learn of this non-profit called NOMV - Not One More Vet https://nomv.org/, serving to work towards decreasing suicide through awareness and support resources.
There are some popular articles, videos, podcasts, and even scientific articles about this concern. I will highlight a couple here,
2.. A documentary called "The Cost of Caring" is available on Prime and other services, and there is a background article from AAHA highlighting the topic. The synopsis is: " The Cost of Caring is a documentary about the high incidence of veterinarian suicide rates in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Veterinary Medical Association published a joint study in 2019 indicating that veterinarians were more likely to die by suicide as compared to the general U.S. population. Men were 2.1 times more likely and for women, it was worse at 3.5 times. The researchers cited multiple stressors that may play a role: the daily demands at work which include euthanizing pets, burnout, compassion fatigue, poor work-life balance, and being cyber bullied and vilified by pet owners for not meeting their expectations. This film delves into those issues and exposes this problem in the pet med industry today."
3. Scientific journal review: An article in 2023 has cited some reasons and statistics: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10421543/
Suicide in veterinary medicine: A literature review
Rodrigues da Silva et al
Abstract: Veterinarians are commonly exposed to occupational stressors, including excessive workload and financial constraints. These stressors can lead to psychological distress, which typically results in mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and burnout and can even culminate in suicide attempts or suicide deaths. Risk factors associated with poor mental health and high rates of suicide in veterinary practitioners include continuous exposure to challenging scenarios, such as interpersonal conflicts, performing euthanasia, and easy access to lethal means of suicide, such as opioids and anesthetics. The previous studies highlight the urgent need for a better understanding of predisposing factors, mental health-related improvements in the professional environment, and the subsequent establishment of primary mental health-related care policies. Effective ways to promote mental health and prevent suicide may include social support, resilience, developing coping skills, promoting a healthy work environment, and discouraging perfectionist behaviors. This review aimed to summarize findings in studies that have investigated mental health and suicide in veterinarians and veterinary students and highlight measures that could be implemented as options for mental health promotion and suicide prevention.
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Raye Taylor
Veterinarian
Taylor Veterinary
MN
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-05-2025 05:10 PM
From: Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Subject: Community Conversations - 5/5/2025 - A Discussion on Veterinary Barriers
Unanswered question from the chat:
"Can you please speak to the suicide rate of Vets. I've read this but I don't remember where. It's a tough profession and I love the mentor idea and working with Vet schools and offering apprenticeships. Also, can you please speak to the pipeline from highschool to vet school?" - @Christina Veloz
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Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Maddie's Fund