Abstract Suicide amongst doctors is a growing public health concern, with the risk estimated to be 2.5 times higher than that of the general population. This literature review explores its prevalence, risk factors, and prevention strategies. The global prevalence of depression amongst medical students is 28% and 53% in India, worsened by a 90% treatment gap. Suicides not only result in human loss but also add substantial economic costs. A literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar with search terms ‘Suicide AND Doctors’, ‘Suicide AND India’, ‘Suicide AND Doctors AND India’, and ‘Suicide AND Economic burden’ to identify prevalence, risk factors, barriers and preventive strategies. Multiple risk factors were identified. Barriers such as self-diagnosis, stigma and confidentiality concerns prevent timely care. Proposed solutions include identifying and training gatekeepers – trusted peers or community figures to recognise warning signs and provide timely referral. Other strategies include incorporating suicide prevention and gatekeeper training in the MBBS curriculum, implementing structured mentor–mentee programs, sensitisation on suicide prevention strategies, improving emotional intelligence, buddy pairing for peer support and expanding opportunities for physical activity amongst students. Systemic solutions are therefore essential and need to be integrated into the medical system. The manuscript was prepared in accordance with the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA) guidelines.
Singh et al. (Fri,) studied this question.