Objectives

This study aims to construct an integrative review of suicide among physicians and medical students based on an analysis of scientific articles on the subject.

Methods

A search was conducted in the PubMed, Lilacs and SciELO databases using the keywords “suicide”, “physicians”, “doctors”, and “students” between 2000 and 2014 in English, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Results

The results indicated that suicide rates in this population are higher than those of the general population and other academic groups. The main causes identified in the study were a higher incidence of psychiatric disorders such as depression and substance abuse, and psychological distress related to specific situations involved with the profession, such as high workload, sleep deprivation, difficulty with patients, unhealthy environments, financial worries, and information overload.

Conclusions

Suicide prevention is possible, but the problem is not receiving the necessary attention. Additional research on the subject is required to formulate policies and interventions for prevention and specific treatment for this population.

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