Animal Health Solutions

31 Q3 2020 | Animal Health Solutions 1. David Leffler. "Suicides among veterinarians become a growing problem." Washington Post. Jan. 23, 2019. 2. Suzanne E. Tomasi DVM, et al. "Suicide among veterinarians in the United States from 1979 through 2015." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. January 1, 2019, Vol. 254, No. 1, Pages 104-112. 3. Alex Johnson. "Veterinarians far more likely to die by suicide than other Americans, research shows." (NBC) Health News, Dec. 20, 2018. 4. Veterinarians Are Killing Themselves. An Online Group Is There To Listen And Help. NPR, Sept. 7, 2019. Transcript of audio interview. 5. Rita Giordano. "Veterinarians are dying by suicide at high rates, beset by stress, death and debt." The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 9, 2019. 6. David Leffler. "Suicides among veterinarians become a growing problem." Washington Post. Jan. 23, 2019. 7. "Veterinarians are dying by suicide at high rates, beset by stress, death and debt." The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 9, 2019. 8. David Leffler. "Suicides among veterinarians become a growing problem." Washington Post. Jan. 23, 2019. 9. Lisa Moses, et al. "Ethical conflict and moral distress in veterinary practice: A survey of North American veterinarians." Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. August, 2018. https:// onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvim.15315 10. Melissa Chan. Here's Why Suicide Among Veterinarians Is a Growing Problem. "Veterinarians Face Unique Issues That Make Suicide One of the Profession's Big Worries." Time, Sept. 12, 2019. 11. Lisa Moses, et al. "Ethical conflict and moral distress in veterinary practice: A survey of North American veterinarians." Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. August, 2018. 12. New Study Finds Higher than Expected Number of Suicide Deaths among U.S. Veterinarians. CDC Newsroom, December 20, 2018. 13. Veterinarians Are Killing Themselves. An Online Group Is There To Listen And Help. NPR, Sept. 7, 2019. 14. Portia Stewart. "MightyVet initiative targets veterinarians' well-being." dvm360.com. March 8, 2018. Two governmental organizations also provide resources to help: 1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): In 2017, the CDC released Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices. This collection of strategies and approaches uses the best available evidence to teach coping and problem-solving skills that help readers identify and support people at risk. This resource also informs veterinary stakeholders on best practices for prevention activities and priorities throughout the profession. 2. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): NIOSH's hierarchy of controls—a framework that helps control occupational hazards to prevent illnesses and injuries—is another resource that can help guide suicide prevention measures. Solutions include strategies to restructure how veterinarians work, such as scheduling shorter work shifts. "Collaboration among multiple stakeholders in the profession such as professional associations, veterinary schools and suicide prevention experts could help contribute to an effective and comprehensive suicide prevention strategy within the profession," said John Howard, NIOSH director. 12 An ideal example is Not One More Vet, which helps by creating communities that offer veterinarians the resources and support to help manage the stresses of their work. 13 Moving forward with confidence MightyVet is an online community dedicated to helping veterinarians better cope with the emotional demands of their work. "MightyVet is an industry-wide movement that offers access to information not otherwise taught as a universal core curriculum in veterinary school," said the founder of the organization, Steve Weinrauch, BVMS, MRCVS. Free resources include mentoring and continuing education courses, such as Confronting the Stigma of Suicide. "From veterinarian to tech student to retiree, these issues remain closer to us than most realize." 14 MightyVet and Not One More Vet are just two examples of how organizations within the industry are addressing suicide prevention head on. What can you do to promote awareness in your own practice? For more information, visit www.mightyvet.org and www.nomv.org/resources/.

• Cover