Table 1—
Characteristics of 398 veterinarians who died by suicide during the years 1979 through 2015.
| Variable | Males (n = 326) | Females (n = 72) | Total (n = 398) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at death (y) | |||
| 25–14 | 74 (23) | 45 (63) | 119 (30) |
| 45–64 | 148 (45) | ≥ 5 (—) | ≥ 148 (—) |
| ≥ 65 | 104 (32) | < 5 (—) | ≥ 104 (—) |
| Position type* | |||
| Clinical | 261 (80) | 52 (72) | 313 (79) |
| Nonclinical | 56 (17) | 11 (15) | 67 (17) |
| Species specialization† | |||
| Companion animal | 174 (53) | 52 (72) | 226 (57) |
| Food animal | ≥ 5 (—) | < 5 (—) | 44 (11) |
| Mixed animal | ≥ 5 (—) | < 5 (—) | 19 (5) |
| Equine | ≥ 5 (—) | < 5 (—) | 9 (2) |
| Other | < 5 (—) | < 5 (—) | < 5 (—) |
| None–not listed | 86 (26) | 12 (17) | 98 (25) |
Data are shown as number (%). Data for cell sizes < 5 and data reported as minimum rather than exact values were suppressed to comply with the NDI data reporting requirements.
*
Occupational positions for 18 decedents (9 male and 9 female veterinarians) were classified as unknown.
†
Species specialization was classified according to AVMA market research statistics definitions26; not all individuals with species specialization were in clinical practice.
— = Percentages not calculated for compliance with NDI data reporting rules.
See Figure 1 for information on dataset selection.