9 Jobs That Have The Highest Suicide Rates

We know there is something that you don’t like about any job you have, but with these jobs it’s worse. From 2000 to 2012, the overall rates of suicide for people aged 16 and older rose 21 percent, the study found. That works out to an approximate increase from 13 to 16 suicides per every 100,000 people in the United States.

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But among farmers, fishers and foresters, the suicide rate was dramatically higher — at 85 suicides per 100,000 people. For males in those jobs, the rate was even greater. Their suicide rate was 90.5 suicides per 100,000, according to the report.

9. Scientists

Starting off, those who are most stressed or depressed are more likely to commit suicide. And the work of a scientist can be quite stressful. The push to discover and innovate as well as to constantly publish new findings creates a lot of stress in a field where the competition is rather fierce, and sometimes, even cut-throat. Suicide rates amongst scientists are surprising, with scientists having a likelihood of committing suicide at a rate of 1.28 higher than the general population. For every 45 male suicides in the field, there are an estimated five female suicides per year, with one prominent example of a female chemist, (chemists being the scientists most likely to take their own lives), committing suicide by swallowing cyanide upon refusal of a research grant.

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8. Pharmacists

Generally, a pharmacist is responsible for prescribing patients their medications, oftentimes a thankless job. Furthermore, when some patients cannot afford to pay for their medications, or insurance will not cover said medications, the pharmacist often takes the blame. Another thing pharmacists have to deal with are the big pharmaceutical companies, sometimes treated as a sales rep as opposed to a health care professional–all of which adds to frustration when they too want to see the best for their patients. Pharmacists also have a substance abuse rate of nearly 20% higher than average, which contribute to the rate of suicide amongst pharmacists to be 1.29 higher than average.

7. Farm Workers

Working out in the field can be downright stressful if you just look at the extreme weather condition, but add that is one of the lowest paying jobs in America, with a salary of less than $20,000 annually. Not only is the work hard , it is also dangerous, working with heavy machinery. There were 216 farm accident fatalities in 2012 alone, prompting Forbes magazine to rank farming as one of the nation’s deadliest jobs.

6. Electricians

Electricians suicide rate is 1.36 higher than average. While being an electrician can be a lucrative profession, it can also be difficult when the economy is bad and work is scarce. Beyond the stressful economic factors that may affect electricians, there have been recent studies that have posited that an electrician’s long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields could ultimately affect brain chemistry. The electromagnetic fields may affect melatonin production in the brain, which can potentially lead to depression, potentially culminating in suicide.

5. Real Estate

The world of real estate can be a high risk, high reward profession, just think of the housing crisis in 2008 when housing prices plummeted, the world of real estate has become crazy. The lack of stability in real estate, particularly not knowing when the next paycheck may arrive if the housing market is weak, may very well be one of the main reasons why real estate agents commit suicide at a rate of 1.38 higher than the average person.

4. Lawyers

According to studies, before even graduating from law school, a reported 40% of law students already suffer…

… from depression. Once practicing, lawyers are nearly four times more likely to suffer from depression than the average American. The extremely long hours, poor public opinion, difficult cases and clients, and moral battles within attorney/client privelege can be reasons why lawyers commit suicide at a rate of 1.33 times higher than the national average.

3. Financial Planners

This is a correlation between financial workers and suicide that has been witnessed by the public since the Great Depression when stock brokers who had been bankrupted leapt from buildings to their death. The suicide rate amongst financial workers in America is 1.51 times higher than average. In the first three months of 2014 alone, there were already 11 reported suicides amongst those in finance.

2. Dentists

When was the last time your truly happy to go to the dentist? Not many people can say that they were. A dentist’s suicide rate is 1.67 times higher than the American average. Being a dentist brings with it long hours, reluctant and difficult patients, and not a strong guarantee of success or stability. Because of this, studies suggest that dentists are more likely to suffer from mental disorders, but are also more reluctant to seek treatment for disorders.

1. Doctors

Doctors are 1.87 times more likely to commit suicide than the average American. While suicide accounts for roughly 2% of all deaths amongst the general population in the United States, 4% of all physician deaths are by suicide. The high stress nature of the job. Studies have shown when a doctor suffers from depression or another mental disorder, they are reluctant to seek treatment, potentially fearing for their practice if word of their own need for professional help were to be revealed.