Zhang: “There are many
demands …”
MIDDLETOWN – Some 400 physicians in the United States annually commit suicide and with that startling statistic in mind, Touro medical college in Middletown, Monday, participated in the National Day of Solidarity to Prevent Physician/Medical Student Suicide.
A number of stress factors can contribute to what doctors call an epidemic among their colleagues.
Johnson Zhang, a second year medical student at Touro, and president of the Student Government Association, told fellow students there are many pressures on medical students.
“We all know it is very difficult as medical students and graduate students,” Zhang said. “There are many demands, more so than ‘regular people’; I refer to it as ‘adulting’. There are a lot of hours we have to contribute, not only to handling financial situations, family burdens, but also many study hours. It is very important to recognize all these many stressors, but also find ways to relieve them.”
Dr. Pamela Wible, a world renowned specialist on mental health and suicide, said it must be treated as any other disease and addressed out in the open. She urged any medical students feeling overcome by stress to speak to friends, colleagues and seek out professional consultation.
Doctors and students turned out to show solidarity
