WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- From 1999 to 2020, there were increases in suicide rates in the United States across all racial groups, with the highest rates among White and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons, according to a research letter published online Dec. 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Bibha Dhungel, Dr.P.H., from Waseda University in Tokyo, and colleagues used nationally representative U.S. data from 1999 to 2020 to assess temporal trends and patterns in method-specific suicide by sex and race. Age-specific data on deaths by intentional self-harm were obtained for each year from 1999 to 2020. Suicide methods were categorized as poisoning, hanging, firearm-related, jumping from a high place, and other methods.

The researchers found that between 1999 and 2020, there were rapid increases in suicide mortality rates across all groups, but especially among White and AI/AN men, with age-standardized rates increasing from 19.6 to 26.5 per 100,000 persons among AI/AN men and from 4.6 to 7.6 per 100,000 persons among AI/AN women (relative increases, 35 and 65 percent, respectively). Firearms were the most common method of suicide among men, but rapid increases were seen among men and women in suicide by hanging. Firearms and hanging were the main means of suicide among AI/AN men and increased at similar rates; among AI/AN women, hanging increased from 1.4 to 4.1 deaths per 100,000 persons during the study period.

"Suicide prevention requires a multidimensional and race-specific approach, with strengthened antisuicide and antiviolence programs particularly important among White and AI/AN men," the authors write.

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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Burnout, lack of professional fulfillment, and other well-being-linked factors are associated with intention to leave (ITL) among physicians, according to a study published online Dec. 15 in JAMA Network Open.

Jennifer A. Ligibel, M.D., from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues describe the prevalence of burnout, professional fulfillment, and ITL among physicians at academic-affiliated health care systems. Data were included from 18,719 academic physicians who responded to a survey.

The researchers found that 37.9 percent of the respondents met the criteria for burnout, 39.3 percent met the criteria for professional fulfillment, and 32.6 percent reported moderate or greater ITL, with variation across specialties. Each 1-point increase in burnout was associated with ITL after adjustment for demographics (odds ratio, 1.52), while there was an inverse association for each 1-point increase in professional fulfillment with ITL (odds ratio, 0.64). Inverse associations with ITL were seen for each 1-point increase in supportive leadership behaviors, peer support, personal-organizational values alignment, perceived gratitude, COVID-19 organizational support, and electronic health record helpfulness after adjustment for demographics, burnout, and professional fulfillment. Direct associations with ITL were seen for each 1-point increase in depression and negative impact of work on personal relationships.

"These results underscore the importance of the connections between academic physicians and both institutional leadership and mission, as well as point to the need for developing initiatives with a comprehensive approach that considers burnout, professional fulfillment, and other organizational and individual-level well-being factors to help prevent physician turnover," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to Marvin Behavioral Health Inc.

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