MSNJ Raises Awareness of National Physician Suicide Day on 9/17

On Friday, September 17, 2021, the Medical Society of New Jersey (MSNJ) is proud to recognize National Physician Suicide Awareness Day to break down the culture of silence around physician mental health and physician suicide. National Physician Suicide Awareness Day is a reminder and call to action to understand the underlying barriers to mental health care for physicians and share resources that can help those in distress seek mental health care.

“We must change the way we regard mental health, stripping away the stigma and openly addressing depression and burnout among our physicians before it is too late,” said Larry Downs, CEO of MSNJ and the Secretary and Board member of The Physicians Foundation. “Physicians and healthcare professionals are under an extreme amount of pressure to deliver quality care to their patients, and that has only been further exacerbated during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The time has come to shine a light on the importance of our physicians’ mental health – recognizing challenges, calling for change and preventing physician burnout and suicide through engagement, support and education.”

While physician suicide was a crisis long before COVID-19, the pandemic has created a sense of urgency to better support physicians’ mental health and wellbeing. Over the past year, over 6 in 10 physicians (61%) reported they experienced feelings of burnout. When left untreated, burnout can cause more cases of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use, and lead to suicidal thoughts for physicians, directly impacting physician suicide rates.

By creating safe and accessible spaces where physicians feel comfortable talking about their mental health, we will reinforce that physicians can have struggles with mental health – just like everyone else – and engaging in open dialogue is the first step to getting the attention they need to seek care.

“Over the past year, physicians and healthcare professionals have battled on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, a silent and deadly killer,” explained Dr. Kennedy Ganti, President of MSNJ. “They needed a great deal of emotional fortitude to persevere through these dark days – and, oftentimes, their mental health took a proverbial backseat when patient lives were on the line. Having the opportunity to raise awareness about burnout and encouraging physicians to take the time to properly evaluate and re-focus on their own mental health is a positive step towards recognizing and addressing these important issues, all the while educating and encouraging individuals to take action.”

National Physician Suicide Awareness Day comes at a critical time over a year and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has sharpened into focus the growing epidemic of physician mental health challenges, burnout and suicide.

Physicians have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession, and more than half of physicians know a physician who has either considered, attempted or died by suicide in their career. It’s estimated that one million Americans lose their physician to suicide each year.

Now is the time to take steps to prevent physician suicide. On National Physician Suicide Awareness Day, we are committed to raising awareness of the physician suicide epidemic and galvanizing physicians, their colleagues and their loved ones to create a culture of wellbeing that prioritizes reducing burnout, safeguarding job satisfaction and viewing seeking mental health services as a sign of strength.

Learn more about National Physician Suicide Awareness Day at NPSADay.org.

About the Medical Society of New Jersey (MSNJ)
MSNJ is the oldest professional medical society in the United States, with more than 6,500 members. MSNJ is the leading advocate for physicians in the state of New Jersey, including physicians in every specialty and practice setting. Its mission is to promote the betterment of the public health and the science and art of medicine, to enlighten public opinion in regard to the problems of medicine, and to safeguard the rights of the practitioners of medicine. For more information, visit www.msnj.org.

About National Physician Suicide Awareness Day
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day (#NPSADay) is a reminder and call to action. It’s a time to talk – and to act – so physicians’ struggles don’t become mental health emergencies. Prevention begins with learning the signs, starting the conversations, understanding the underlying barriers and sharing the resources that can help those in distress seek mental health care. National Physician Suicide Awareness Day takes place on September 17, 2021, with a mission to break down the culture of silence around physician mental health. It’s time to talk — and to act — so physicians’ struggles don’t become mental health emergencies. Learn more at NPSADay.org.