The Hippocratic Risk: Epidemiology of Suicide in a Sample of Medical Undergraduates

Abstract In spite of the growing awareness on medical students’ mental health in recent years, epidemiologic literature about the topic is scarce, particularly for what concerns suicide. Here, we collected cases of suicides among medical students enrolled at a local University in Italy and compared it to the general population of the same age group. Our sample was collected using records of suicides in the city of Pavia, Italy between the years of 2014 and 2019. This record was cross-referenced with enrolment numbers to the Medical Faculty of the city in order to select cases that involved medical students A time-window of 6 years was chosen for the evaluation. The odds ratio of suicide in medical students in comparison to the general population was of 14.58 (p value at the exact Poisson test <0.001). We then differentiated between native Italians and students from abroad. In this case, an odds ratio of 6.81 was observed (p value at the exact Poisson test 0.011). Our estimated suicide rates exceeded what was previously reported for the general population. We call for a closer attention on mental health in medical students, and an increased effort in collecting objective data on the topic.