Recognizing mental health challenges in practice and what to do next

Abstract

Over the past approximate 5 years, the concept of one’s mental health has become more germane and present than ever in the veterinary field. It is difficult to go to a conference and not find some kind of mental health resource or presentation. Academic research has supported the need of organizations to focus on the mental health of their veterinarians. The most recent Mer­ck Wellbeing study (2022) indicates that veterinarians are most concerned with stress levels in the profession, student debt, suicide rates among veterinarians and the shortage of veteri­narians. The study found that serious psychological stress has increased in recent years while levels of suicidal ideation has remained stable. Other studies such as Nett (2015) and Tomasi et al. (2019) found that suicide ideation and death is a serious concern for the field.