A Culture of Silence: Physician Suicide and the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the rate of suicide among male physicians is 1.41 times higher than among men in the general population. For women, the risk is 2.27 times greater. If we prioritize the mental health of medical professionals who are caring for some of our most vulnerable patients, and encourage help-seeking behaviors for mental health concerns and substance use disorders by reducing stigma, increasing resources, and having open conversations about mental health- maybe we can change the culture.

Visit afsp.org/actioncenter to learn more about the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (H.R. 7255/S. 4349). Learn more about the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation.

Why Do Female Physicians Keep Dying By Suicide At Mount Sinai St. Luke's Hospital?

Unspoken: Doctor Depression and Suicide

Jennifer Breen Feist  is an attorney in Charlottesville, VA specializing in finance, real estate and wealth management. She is the Co-Founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation.  J. Corey Feist,  is a health care executive with over 20 years of experience. Corey is the Co-Founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the University of Virginia Physicians Group, the medical group practice of UVA Health. He holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the UVA Darden School of Business where he currently teaches a course entitled “Managing in a Pandemic: The Challenge of COVID-19″.  Jessica (“Jessi”) Gold, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Wellness, Engagement, and Outreach in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in Saint Louis. She works clinically as an outpatient psychiatrist and primarily sees college graduate students, as well as faculty, staff, and hospital employees. In her administrative role, Dr. Gold is helping her university and hospital's overall mental health response to covid for faculty and staff and finding acute and sustainable ways to take care of our own.
Daniel J Egan MD is the program director of the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency Program in Boston. Prior to Boston, Dr. Egan worked at several sites in NYC where he was involved in residency leadership as APD and PD and most recently a Vice Chair of Education.
 
If you or someone you know is suicidal, please, contact your physician, go to your local Emergency Department, or call the suicide prevention hotline in your country. For the United States, the numbers are as follows. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Both programs provide free, confidential support 24/7.

Project Parachute   In cooperation with Eleos Health, the project provides pro-bono therapy for front line health care professionals.
The Emotional PPE Project is a directory that provides contact information of volunteer mental health practitioners to healthcare workers whose mental health has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. 

Frontline workers counseling project 

The Frontline Workers Counseling Project (FWCP), formerly called the COVID-19 Pro Bono Counseling Project, is an initiative that helps connect frontline workers with free, confidential psychotherapy and counseling. The project is now open to all frontline and essential workers in the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo.

Change the culture: Reframing Health Licensure Questions