Five Things We Now Know About the Mental Health of Veterinarians

Several years ago, I wrote a blog “Five things you didn’t know about the mental health of veterinarians”. It was published at a time when news about suicide among veterinary professionals was starting to emerge and studies were underway to learn more about psychological distress among veterinarians.

In the largest of those earlier studies, we learned that psychological distress occurs in approximately 1 in 10 US veterinarians and that approximately 1 in 3 US veterinarians report previous experiences with depression. Thoughts of suicide were reported among almost 1 in 5 US veterinarians, approximately the same fraction who were seeking treatment for a mental health condition or emotional problem. We also learned that about 1 in 10 US veterinarians were planning to leave the profession, due to work-related stressors.

These survey responses and the tremendous increase in discussion around mental health and wellbeing since, have led to a rapid rise in the study and understanding of psychological distress, burnout, and suicide among veterinarians. The highlights of what we now know, based on recently published studies, are outlined below.

1. Veterinarians experience higher rates of burnout compared to physicians.

The results of the 2019 Merck Animal Health Veterinarian Wellbeing Study used the Mayo Clinic Physician Burnout and Wellbeing Scale to demonstrate that, despite working fewer hours, veterinarians scored 3.1 on the 7-point scale, compared to physicians who scored 2.2., which was a statistically significant difference.

The demographics statistically associated with higher burnout scores among veterinarians were single relationship status, female gender, millennial generation, not having children, and having student debt. Higher burnout scores were also associated with work-related factors including consistently working > 46 hours per week, working more evenings, weekends, and holidays, and being paid a salary. Interestingly, food animal veterinarians had the lowest burnout scores than any other demographic, regardless of gender.

2. Young veterinarians have the lowest wellbeing scores and highest levels of psychological distress.

The same study cited above defined wellbeing as the way an individual feels about his or her life and how it compares to their ideal life. The survey found that wellbeing on average was lower among younger veterinarians. Additionally, “not working enough hours” had a larger negative impact than “working too many hours” on wellbeing scores, which coincides with the finding that higher student debt also predicted lower wellbeing scores.

When it came to predictors of higher wellbeing, enjoying work, work-life balance, spending time with friends and family, satisfaction with pay, and an invigorating work environment were all described. And while the overall prevalence of psychological distress among US veterinarians has not changed since a similar survey study was conducted in 2017, and remains on par with the general US population, the prevalence of serious psychological distress is much higher among veterinarians less than 35 years of age compared to older veterinarians.

3. Serious stigma persists among veterinarians regarding mental health.

Some of the most concerning findings to come out of the recent research investigating veterinarian mental health demonstrate a persistent stigma related to social support and treatment effectiveness for those with mental illness. These research findings are described in a previous blog. It details findings from a survey study that show significantly more veterinarians than the general population disagree with the statements “Treatment can help people with mental illness lead normal lives” (assessing attitudes about mental health treatment effectiveness) and “People are generally caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness” (assessing attitudes about social support).

And according to the latest survey study, while the percentage of veterinarians who agree that “People are generally caring and sympathetic to people with mental illness” has gone up, the percentage of veterinarians who agree that “Treatment can help people with mental illness lead normal lives” has unfortunately gone down. This stigma could be the reason why 46% of veterinarians experiencing serious psychological distress are not currently receiving treatment.

4. Most veterinarians would not recommend a career in veterinary medicine to a friend or family member.

Probably the biggest indicator of work satisfaction is whether a person would recommend their career to someone else. And while many children and young adults aspire to be a veterinarian someday, the most recent survey study by Merck Animal Health reveals that 52% of veterinarians would not recommend a career in veterinary medicine. When asked why, the top reasons included student debt (50%), low salary (45%), stress (29%), difficult or ungrateful clients (23%), and a challenging work-life balance (15%).

5. Female veterinarians appear to struggle the most with distress and thoughts of suicide.

Not only do female veterinarians experience higher levels of serious psychological distress than their male colleagues, but the incidence of distress has increased from 6.3% in 2017 to 8.1% in 2019. Female veterinarians are also much more likely to think about suicide compared to male veterinarians. And sadly, with research completed to compare the cause of death among veterinarians and a proportional cohort of the general population, we now know that while men are 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide, women are 3.5 times more likely.

Additionally, it appears that access to means, namely pentobarbital, is a large contributor to these suicides. A recent study confirmed that poisoning was the most common cause of death by suicide or undetermined intent among veterinarians and when those deceased by pentobarbital poisoning were excluded from analyses, the risk of suicide among veterinarians was not different from the general population.

Given all that we know, and are continuing to learn, about mental health, suicide, and wellbeing among veterinarians, I strongly urge you to consider taking a course to arm yourself with the knowledge and tools to be able to help in a crisis. Johns Hopkins University offers a free online program called Psychological First Aid and the American Veterinary Medical Association recently made their QPR (Suicide Prevention) Training accessible to all non-members. Please make the commitment to complete at least one of these programs today.

If you are anyone you know are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please call the USA National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255), Canada Suicide Prevention Service (1-833-456-4566), or 911.