Pamela Wible On Physician Suicide

Pamela Wible is a Family Practice physician who has taken on the cause of physician suicide. We discuss the acuity of the problem and the disconnect between public understanding and the reality of the problem. Sadly, Dr Wible is probably correct when she surmises that almost every physician in America knows someone in medicine who killed themselves. The conversation also moves through how the problem can begin to move towards improvement.

Key Learnings

1. Why Dr. Wible took on the issue of physician suicide
2. 951 physicians dead by suicide
3. How do non-physicians understand the idea of physician suicide
4. Why physicians are at high risk for suicide
5. The SOAP note approach to the issue of physician suicide as a societal issue
6. Why the issue is so difficult to discuss
7. The impact of “sucking it up”
8. Dealing with tragedy as part of the solution
9. Where physicians go to cry
10. Suicide awareness & prevention as a recruiting & retention tool
11. Reaching out for help

Links

Dr. Wible’s home page

“What I’ve learned from 949 doctor suicides”

Do No Harm film site