This World Suicide Prevention Day, I’d like to talk about 2 particular groups:

Firstly, let’s talk about the familes and friends who are bereaved by suicide.

Grief after suicide is more likely to be complicated: the grief may last longer and can impact activities of daily living. “Complicated grief” can last more than a year, and can affect your physical helath. It is more likely to be associated with mental health complication like depression or (PTSD).

The reason to talk about this especially today, on World Suicide Prevention Day? Those who have been bereaved by suicide are themselves more likely to experience suicidal ideas or self-harm., and are more likely to need from support services or health professionals.

How to support someone who has been bereaved by suicide? Be there. Stay in touch. Listen. Offer direct, real ways help in their life. Know that this may last for many months, a year, maybe longer.

So, who’s the other group?  My colleagues.  In my years of practice, it has not been just patients and families affected by suicide — but colleagues.

Doctors have a particularly high rate of suicide, higher again among female doctors.

How high? High enough that I am remembering more than a few today. Really how high? We don’t even know because in Ireland – unlike US or UK – we do not keep statistics on doctor suicide.

It is beyond time for us in Ireland to, at the very least, start keeping count.

We should not just whisper in hushed tones in corners but focus on respect and concern for those bereaved. There should be communication. This is a complex issue and addressing it means looking not just at individuals but also in our professional relationships, our community, wider society. As physicians, we have a duty to mental health, not just for our patients, but among ourselves, starting from medical school.

We also need to recognise that while this is an issue affecting doctors, physician mental health has direct impact on patient care, including compassion fatigue, burn out, and on the wider doctor shortage.