- Worldwide, it is estimated that doctors have twice the risk of committing suicide than the rest of the population.
- And when it comes to doctors, the index increases up to three times.
- A resident of the General Hospital of Chihuahua “Dr. Salvador Zubirán Anchondo ”attempted to commit suicide because of the workplace harassment of which she was a victim by his superiors.
Many times there is a perception of Medicine that does not correspond to reality. Although from the outside it seems that everything is perfect, those who really have to care for patients in hospitals know that this is not true. The pressures and the very pace of work can be catastrophic and the most recent case involved a resident who attempted suicide.
The dire panorama facing health professionals
First of all it is necessary to mention an alarming fact. In 2018, the Medscape portal presented a study whose conclusion is terrifying. Doctors have twice the risk of committing suicide than the rest of the population. And when it comes to doctors, the index increases up to three times. It is also a global problem that is present in health professionals around the world.
But since the problem is known, the next point is to investigate its reasons and possible solutions. In the specific case of Mexico, everything starts from the formative part. The university career is too absorbing and sometimes demands too much from students.
One of the highest pressure moments occurs during residency. Although approve the National Examination of Applicants for Medical Residencies (ENARM) It is a great achievement, in reality the complicated part comes later.
Resident attempts to commit suicide
In this sense, an unfortunate event has just occurred in our country, although fortunately it did not have fatal consequences. In any case, it is a wake-up call that shows that something is not right and it is necessary to change many things in the Mexican health system.
The protagonist of the story is called Perla and she is a resident of the Chihuahua General Hospital “Dr. Salvador Zubirán Anchondo”. Like many people of his generation, he entered the field with high expectations. Unfortunately, life inside the hospital was not as he thought.
According to what was published in The Chihuahua HeraldFrom the beginning, he suffered from attacks and workplace harassment by his superiors. It is also mentioned that the R2 and R3 mistreated her and made her guards more complicated.
The pressure was so great that it led the young woman to make a strong decision. Once at her house, he decided to ingest various sleeping pills with the intention of ending her life. She was very close to achieving it, but thanks to one of her friends, support from medical personnel was requested.
An ambulance arrived at her home and although she had no vital signs, with the help of paramedics she was taken to a nearby hospital. She was immediately intubated and managed to be revived. At the moment she remains hospitalized and although she remains alive, her state of health is complicated.
For their part, the relatives of the resident who attempted suicide have requested the support of the authorities. It is planned to start an investigation inside the hospital to identify those allegedly responsible for the abuses. With this, what is sought is to put an end to this problem that, unfortunately, is quite common among health professionals.
Also read:
MIP from Zacatecas commits suicide and blames his teachers: “He was constantly mocked”
Student commits suicide within the UNAM Faculty of Medicine: This we know
Why is Medicine the profession with the highest suicide rate?