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There's growing concern for the mental health and wellbeing of doctors and medical specialists navigating a stressed health sector.
In an editorial published in the NZ Medical Journal today, burnout, depression and anxiety are increasingly common diseases amongst doctors, impairing their ability to perform at work and home and cope with life stressors.
Roger Mulder co-wrote the piece titled Suicide Amongst Doctors.
He is a Professor of psychological medicine at University of Otago (Christchurch) and a consultant liaison psychiatrist in the public health system.
Professor Mulder is concerned the under-resourced health system may also be resulting in some physicians taking their own lives.
But he says national suicide statistics are not broken down by profession - and that must change.
He says in the interests of safety and wellbeing the medical profession needs to turn the lens on itself and and measure doctor suicide, which is always historically higher amongst women practitioners.