Depression rates by medical specialty

[jon-nyc]

Conclusion: Looking at dicks all day can make you crazy

For mild to severe depression symptoms, survey responses were collected from physicians practicing in 20 different specialties. The highest rates of mild to severe depression symptoms occurred among these 10 physician specialties. They were:

Urology: 38.5%.
Emergency medicine: 38.3%.
Family medicine: 35.8%.
Obstetrics and gynecology: 33.6%.
General internal medicine: 33.3%.
Physical medicine and rehabilitation: 32.7%.
Radiology: 32%.
Pediatric subspecialty: 31.9%.
Psychiatry: 31.8%.
Dermatology: 31.6%.
Ophthalmology had the lowest rate of depression at 19.1%.

I wonder what Aqua’s Sister would say about that.

[George K]

I'm surprised at urology being high. In fact, if you look at the list, it is one of only three surgical-related specialties (OB/GYN and eyes being of the others).

All of the others, IMO, would be a kind of drudgery - wake up, go to office, see as many patients as your boss wants you to see, do paperwork, go home. Repeat.

THere's a lot of variety in surgical specialties, which I would think make it more appealing.

[LuFins Dad]

Maybe you’re looking at it wrong, Jon? What if depression isn’t the result, but the root cause? Maybe being depressed makes people want to look at malfunctioning dicks? Just a thought.

[George K]

Burnout:

https://careers.jamanetwork.com/article/which-medical-specialties-experience-the-most-burnout-/

In the Medscape survey, last year, critical care, neurology, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine and emergency medicine topped the list. However, this year the highest percentage of physician burnout occurred among these medical specialties:

• Urology: 54 percent

• Neurology: 53 percent

• Physical medicine and rehabilitation: 52 percent

• Internal medicine: 49 percent

• Emergency medicine: 48 percent

• Family medicine: 48 percent

The lowest rates of burnout were reported by physicians in these medical specialties:

• Public health and preventive medicine: 28 percent

• Nephrology: 32 percent

• Pathology: 33 percent

• Ophthalmology: 34 percent

• Otolaryngology: 36 percent

• Plastic surgery: 36 percent

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Of note, urology is one of the more competitive specialties - or it used to be.