Not liking your job is one thing, but in some cases hating a job can actually lead people to commit suicide. It is terribly sad to consider this, yet the stress and pressure that so many jobs come with, lead people to that dark place. Whilst not every suicide is job-related, we cannot ignore the fact that a great number of them are. Statistics show that certain positions are more or less likely to drive people towards breakdowns, depression, and potentially suicide too. Let’s take a deeper look into the statistics around this, and the profession with highest suicidal death 2022. 

Statistics Around Suicide

Rheeda Walker, professor of psychology and director of the University of Houston’s Culture, Risk and Resilience Lab had this to say on the statistics around job-related suicide. 

“Over the last decade, suicide rates in the United States have increased dramatically among racial and ethnic minorities, and Black Americans in particular. Suicide deaths occur across the lifespan and have increased for Black youth, but the highest rate of death is among Black Americans aged 25-34 years of age,” 

Furthermore, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) database on cause of death by occupation study revealed some intriguing statistics about the jobs with the greatest rates of suicide and rated them around the turn of the century.

The most suicidal occupations among Black men with a significant sample size were police and detectives (2.55 times higher than usual), furnace operators (2.01 times higher than average), and electricians (1.78 times higher than average). Protective service occupations (2.79 times higher than average), sales supervisors (2 times higher than average), and packaging machine operators had the highest rates of suicide among Black women in big samples (1.96 times higher than average).

Looking At The Highest Suicide Rate By Profession

Think you know which jobs may have the highest suicide links? Some may surprise you. Let’s get into them, and look at the 12 jobs that have the highest suicide rate by profession:

Pharmacist

Typically, a pharmacist is in charge of writing prescriptions for patients’ medications, which is a thankless job frequently. The pharmacist is frequently held accountable when certain patients are unable to pay for their prescriptions or when their insurance does not cover them.

The large pharmaceutical corporations are another issue that pharmacists have to deal with; they are frequently treated more like salespeople than as healthcare providers, which makes things even more frustrating because they too want what is best for their patients.

In addition to having a substance misuse rate that is about 20% higher than usual, pharmacists also have a 1.29 higher suicide rate than average.

Farm Workers

Working in the field is one of the lowest-paying jobs in America, with an annual compensation of less than $20,000, and may be downright stressful solely because of the harsh weather.

Working with large machinery is risky in addition to being difficult. Due to the 216 farm accident fatalities in 2012 alone, Forbes magazine listed farming as one of the worst professions in the country.

Lawyers

Studies show that 40% of law students experience depression even before they graduate from law school. Once in practice, attorneys have almost a four-fold greater risk of depression than the ordinary American.

Lawyers commit suicide at a rate that is 1.33 times greater than the national average because of factors like exceptionally long hours, negative public perception, challenging cases and clients, and ethical conflicts with attorney/client confidentiality.

Electricians 

The average suicide rate is 1.36 times higher than that of electricians. Even while working as an electrician can be rewarding, it can also be challenging when there is a lack of employment and the economy is struggling.

Recent research has suggested that an electrician’s prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields may eventually damage brain chemistry in addition to the potentially stressful economic variables that may affect them.

The brain’s melatonin production may be impacted by electromagnetic fields, which may then result in depression and even suicide.

Real Estate

Consider the 2008 housing crisis, when home values fell and the real estate market went insane. The world of real estate may be a high-risk, high-reward career.

One of the main causes of real estate brokers committing suicide at a rate 1.38 times greater than the general population may very well be the lack of stability in the industry, particularly not knowing when the next payment may arrive if the housing market is sluggish.

Financial Planners

Since the Great Depression, when bankrupt stockbrokers jumped to their deaths from skyscrapers, the public has seen a connection between financial employees and suicide.

American finance professionals have a suicide rate that is 1.51 times greater than the national average. There were 11 documented suicides among workers in the finance industry in just the first three months of 2014.

Vets 

A veterinarian needs to have technical expertise, accurate diagnosis, and a limited margin for error.

Many veterinarians put in long hours and are frequently forced to witness animals being put to sleep, which may negatively impact their emotional health. Depressive and stressful sensations could result from this.

If they have a mental illness, many veterinarians might believe they are taking care of themselves well and don’t need to get help. A veterinarian committing suicide has a 1.54 percent chance of doing so.

Law Enforcement

Most people picture police officers as upright citizens who are in good physical and mental condition. But it takes a lot of labor and is frequently highly stressful to enforce the law. Due to the extensive overtime they frequently put in, police officers may experience higher levels of stress than ordinary people.

Compared to other vocations, police officers have a nearly two-fold increased risk of developing depression. Police officers are less likely to obtain enough sleep as a result of their stressful jobs. Most police officers sleep for fewer than six hours every night. Police officers had a 1.54 chance of committing suicide. White men commit suicide at a lower rate than women and men of African American descent. While the suicide rate for African American male police officers is roughly 2.55 times that of the ordinary worker, it is approximately 2.03 times higher for female police officers.

Police officers shoulder the critical missions of safeguarding citizens’ lives and property and punishing crimes, and they undertake high-stress and high-risk jobs every day. Their work deserves our respect and appreciation. We should thank them for their spirits of diligent work and selfless dedication. Giving police challenge coins to police officers, which is an affirmation and recognition to them. This can make them feel that the sense of honor and life value brought by this profession is greater than the hard work and pressure. You can learn more info about police challenge coins at GS-JJ.

Dentists 

When was the last time you actually looked forward to visiting the dentist? Few people may claim to have been. The suicide rate among dentists is 1.67 times greater than the national average.

Long hours, reluctant and challenging patients, and no assurance of success or stability are all part and parcel of being a dentist. Studies indicate that despite having a higher risk of mental problems, dentists are less likely than the general population to seek treatment for those diseases.

Doctors 

The suicide rate among doctors is 1.87 times higher than that of the typical American. Even though 2% of Americans die by suicide overall, doctors commit themselves at a rate of 4% due to the significant stress associated with their line of work.

Studies have indicated that when a doctor experiences depression or another mental disease, they are reluctant to seek therapy, maybe out of concern for their business should it become known that they required professional assistance.

Scientists 

People who are most stressed out or sad have a higher risk of suicide. Additionally, a scientist’s job might be very demanding. In a field where competition is severe and occasionally even cutthroat, there is a lot of pressure to discover and innovate as well as to consistently publish new findings.

It is shocking how common suicide is among scientists, who are 1.28 times more likely to take their own lives than the overall population.

An estimated five women commit suicide each year in the field for every 45 men, with one notable case being a female chemist who did so by ingesting cyanide after rejecting a proposal. Chemists are the scientists most likely to commit suicide.

Urban Planners

Some occupations demand you to handle multiple regions and wear many hats at once. This is especially true for urban planners who always strive to improve the quality of life for their neighbors and communities. It might be difficult for planners to deal with people who have bad attitudes while maintaining an optimistic mindset.

Urban planners make their profession a way of life rather than merely doing their jobs. It is challenging to deal with and causes significant concern when the plans don’t go as you had hoped. A person’s routine becomes tedious and exhausting due to meetings, lectures, and workshops.

Conclusion 

There you have it, the highest suicide rate by profession, could you have guessed those, or did some come as a surprise to you? 

Remember that if you are ever feeling overwhelmed, heavily stressed, or depressed because of your job, there is always plenty of help and support around. It is important that you speak to someone, a problem shared is a problem halved after all!