Documentary shines a light on 'national crisis' of physician suicide
The healthcare industry is making progress in providing support to professionals who experience burnout or job dissatisfaction. But what happens when the many pressures faced by physicians can lead to self-harm?
One filmmaker hopes to make the medical field more attuned to a “national suicide crisis” among doctors.
Last week, at the Angelika Film Center in New York, nearly 200 people attended a screening of “Do No Harm,” a documentary focused on physician suicide, which occurs at a rate twice the national average. Robyn Symon, who directed the film, discussed difficulties faced by medical professionals throughout their careers, from medical school and into practice.
"I believe this is the first film to pull back the curtain on the toxic medical culture that doctors have been trapped in for decades but have been too disempowered to speak out on because of the fear of consequences to their career," Symon said in an interview with MedPage Today. "The goal of this film is to open a dialogue because dialogue is the first step to change."
Click below to read more about the event and the film.