This is a 3-part series with statistics, explanations of the causes of suicidal ideation for vets, and how pet owners can help.
Note: These include parts of the web version and video version of The Veterinarian Suicide Crisis with new additions and wording changes to fit the format required by social media.
Please use the “Download” buttons to download the resources as the previews may not be the full-sized version. As usual, please tag @VetsArePeople2 on Facebook and Instagram and @VetsArePeopleToo on Twitter if sharing on social media, and link to VetsArePeopleToo.com if sharing on a website or blog. This would help my site’s search engine rankings and help people to learn more about the cause.
Part 1: The Statistics
Infographic of mental health and suicide statistics in the veterainary profession. More details in 3-Part Series: The veterinarian mental health crisis, causes & how you can help
Veterinarian Mental Health Crisis
Veterinarians are up to 4 times more at risk of dying by suicide than the general population
A 2014 survey of 11,000 veterinarians found:
- 9% had serious psychological distress
- 31% had experienced depressive episodes
- 17% had experienced suicidal ideation
- 1% had already attempted suicide
This is a global issue
- Australia loses 1 veterinarian to suicide every 12 weeks
- And 2021 study of Norwegian veterinarians found 27% felt life was not worth living
Next: Find out why and how you can help
Part 2: Leading causes of suicidal ideation for veterinarians
List of 8 common contributing factors to suicidal ideation for veterinarians. More details in 3-Part Series: The veterinarian mental health crisis, causes & how you can help
The causes
(Descriptions for each included in the image)
- Difficult client interactions
- Online personal attacks
- Compassion fatigue
- Depression & anxiety
- Crippling student debt
- Overwork & burnout
- Access to euthanasia drugs
- COVID-19 pandemic
Next: Find out why and how you can help
Part 3: Ways to help our veterinarians
List of 7 ways in which pet owners can help lessen the mental and emotional burden on our vets and their support staff. More info on the 3-part series: 3-Part Series: The veterinarian mental health crisis, causes and how you can help
Ways we can help
- Be patient
- Take financial responsibility
- Don’t wait till it’s an emergency
- Get pet insurance
- Say “thank you”
- Be kind
- Raise complaints privately
Why this matters
Vet staff are quitting in droves due to daily abuse from pet owners. Vets are burning out. Many pets already can’t get the care they need. If we don’t start changing our behavior and treatment of vets and staff, they may no longer be there the next time we need them.
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