Suicidal Behavior Among Psychologists: Prevalence, Drivers, and Recommended Action Steps

Suicide is a serious threat to public health, and healthcare professionals, including psychologists, are not immune to it. Few experiences are as shocking to psychologists as learning that one of their colleagues has died from suicide. The experience often leaves their patients feeling bewildered or traumatized (Kleespies et al., 2011). This article reviews the prevalence of suicide and suicidal behavior among psychologists, identifies potential drivers of suicidal behavior, and recommends steps to reduce the risk of suicide among psychologists.

Prevalence of Suicidal Behavior Among Psychologists

Using data from the National Violence Death Reporting System, Li et al. (2022) found that American psychologists had the fourth-highest rates of suicide among studied healthcare professionals, following psychiatrists, non-psychiatric physicians, and dentists. The rate of suicide among psychologists is 16 suicides per 100,000, compared to 14 suicides per 100,000 among the population in general (Wang et al., 2020).

Consistent with findings from the study of suicides in the general public, Li et al. (2022) found that male psychologists were more likely to die from suicide than female psychologists. Also, psychology-suicide decedents were older with an average age of 53 years old, and female psychologists had more previous suicide attempts than male psychologists. Finally, more than 60% of the suicide decedents were either divorced, widowed, or never married, consistent with findings that being married reduces the risk of suicide (Li et al., 2022)

The data from Li et al. is similar in many ways to the findings of Dalum et al. (2024), who studied suicides among health care professionals in Norway, where psychologists had rates of suicide higher than what would be found in the general population, but lower than the rate of suicides among physicians, veterinarians, and pharmacists. The reasons for the lower rate of suicide among psychologists are not known. However, the population of psychologists in Norway is more likely to include more young women (who have lower rates of suicide) and who do not have easy access to medications as a means of suicide, compared to professionals who can legally prescribe medications.

The authors could not find recent studies on the prevalence of suicidal thoughts among psychologists. Nonetheless, a 2010 survey of members of the American Psychological Association found that 18% of psychologists had suicidal thoughts at some time in their lives (American Psychological Association, 2010, cited in Kleespies et al., 2011). Among the population in general, the lifetime prevalence of suicidal thoughts is almost 16% (Nock et al., 2008).

Even though most people with suicidal thoughts do not attempt suicide, the presence of suicidal thoughts suggests that a person is in psychological pain and could benefit from therapeutic interventions (Jobes & Joiner, 2019). Therefore, our scope of concern deals not only with the less than 1% of psychologists who die from suicide, but also with the larger percentage of psychologists who have thoughts of suicide, or have a risk of developing suicidal thoughts, even though they do not attempt suicide.

Factors Related to Suicides

In exploring why psychologists die from suicide, we take a two-factor approach, considering the factors influencing suicides among the population in general as well as the unique factors among psychologists. Of course, every person with suicidal thoughts has a unique life history and experience, although knowing the commonalities may help guide effective interventions.

Factors Related to Suicidal Distress in the General Population

Among the population in general, the external circumstances related to a risk of suicide include lower income, less education, less access to health care, less social support, a recent loss or stress, strains in close relationships, gender (men die from suicide more commonly than women), age (risk of suicide increases with age), and exposure to human suffering from witnessing, perpetrating, or being a victim of violence, injury, or disease (O’Connor, 2021). Among the population in general, the internal states related to suicide include perceived burdensomeness (e.g., a belief that others would be better off if I were dead), entrapment (e.g., a belief that one’s life is intolerable and that there is no end to the suffering), ruminations (e.g., repetitive, unwanted negative thoughts), and self-devaluing thoughts such as shame or perfectionism (O’Connor, 2021).

Factors Related to Suicidal Distress Among Psychologists

The same factors that lead to suicide among the population in general should also apply to psychologists. Nonetheless, psychologists may have unique life circumstances or characteristics that could exacerbate or mitigate the risk of suicide. Some of the external circumstances of psychologists suggest that they should have lower rates of suicide than the population in general. For example, their incomes are higher than those of most Americans and therefore, are more likely to have health insurance when they need treatment. Also, because of their training, psychologists presumably know more about suicide, its antecedents, and ways to prevent it. Nonetheless, when people enter an acute suicidal state, their emotions can easily override more rational processes. Furthermore, the training of psychologists may give them a false sense of exceptionalism or a mistaken belief that their education makes them immune to mental illnesses or suicidal thoughts. 

Other circumstances in the lives of psychologists should suggest that they will have a higher risk of suicide than the population in general. For example, a psychologist’s work can be grueling. It could mean working with difficult patients, experiencing stalking, cyberstalking, assaults, or threatened assaults from patients, patient suicides, therapy-interfering behaviors, exposure to trauma, and the difficulty of dealing with emotionally distressed people. Working in institutions can bring challenges, but working in an independent practice can be lonely and isolating (Yang & Hayes, 2020).

Approximately 36% of psychologists reported feeling burned out in 2023 (APA, 2023). Although we found no studies linking burnout or occupational stress to suicidality among psychologists, such a link has been found with other healthcare professionals. For example, Okon et al. (2025) found that, among mental health workers, greater compassion fatigue was associated with an increased risk of having suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts.

 Addressing the Risk of Suicide Among Psychologists:

It is More Than Just an Individual Responsibility

Addressing the risk of suicide among psychologists means addressing their risk of burnout and distress. Although it is important to have services available for those psychologists who struggle with suicidal ideation, focusing only on a few at high risk gives the impression that there is something wrong or different with psychologists who need help with self-care. Instead, it is equally, or perhaps more important, to create an atmosphere or culture within psychology that promotes the well-being of all psychologists by encouraging self-reflection, the use of self-care strategies, and building relationships with others. This requires a multifaceted approach involving training programs, professional associations, hospitals, outpatient agencies, and other employers, as well as individual psychologists, recognizing that no single program or intervention will be equally helpful for everyone.

Training Programs

Training programs can be places where psychologists develop work habits and attitudes that endure throughout their careers. Graduate programs can incorporate self-care into the curriculum and strive to foster a supportive culture for students. The curriculum can address students’ symptoms of distress and career challenges, as well as myths about self-care among psychologists (e.g., the myth of professional exceptionalism). Graduate programs and internships can encourage students to adopt a mindful approach to their work, engage in productive self-doubt, set appropriate boundaries with patients, value close connections with their co-workers, and be aware of the harm that could come from unproductive schemas. Schemas such as perfectionism or relentless self-sacrifice may be inadvertently endorsed or rewarded in graduate training. However, they may put students at risk of burning out later in their careers. High standards, without self-compassion, can lead to burnout.

Graduate programs and internships should be prepared to support students who are struggling with self-care issues, such as those who experience stressful or traumatic events or conflicts during practicum or internship placements. This could include, for example, shame-free analysis of adverse events (such as the attempted suicide of a patient) or offering mentoring to students who are struggling with self-care issues. They can help students normalize self-reflection by discussing their concerns, focusing on remedying mistakes or shortcomings rather than demonizing them.

Professional Associations and Institutions

Professional associations can establish active psychology wellness committees that provide education on self-care and resources for members. They can also offer interactive continuing education programs designed to promote well-being and self-reflection, as well as provide other forums for psychologists to meet and build relationships. They can provide experiences such as consultation services on self-care, ethical, or practical issues, which may reduce worry or distress among psychologists.

Institutions that employ psychologists need to move beyond the notion that self-care is entirely a personal responsibility. An ironic situation could arise when an institution offers yoga or meditation classes to help its employees manage stress, yet maintains institutional policies on sick leave, workload, or administrative responsibilities that lead to fatigue, demoralization, and burnout. Institutional demands to provide care at a level of service beyond the psychotherapists’ abilities or resources need to be discussed in a safe forum where, if possible, they could decline to offer the services.

Individual Psychologists

Just as the stressors facing every psychologist are unique, so too are the activities or therapeutic interventions to promote well-being, which can vary from person to person depending on their life circumstances, personal histories, preferences, and career stage (Norcross & VandenBos, 2018). Nonetheless, self-reflective and social support-building activities appear to be especially important (Riccio & Fisher, 2025).

Individual psychologists can look out for themselves and one another by creating support groups and embedding themselves within a competence constellation focused on promoting their own and others’ well-being (Johnson et al., 2012). These groups can help them construct self-care strategies as part of their daily routines, thereby supporting work-life balance. They can foster a willingness to set appropriate boundaries with patients and others. Psychologists can expand the concept of self-care to include any activity that alleviates stress or promotes well-being. This could include, if appropriate, therapeutic risk management skills, competence in handling patients with therapy-interfering behaviors, and learning good ethical decision-making strategies when handling difficult situations, such as conflicts with agencies.

Recommendations

Addressing the issue of suicide among psychologists requires more than just providing services for those in imminent distress. It also means challenging the current professional culture that discourages psychologists from recognizing their pain and vulnerabilities and engaging in productive self-reflection. Training programs, professional associations, and individual psychologists can take steps to address this toxic aspect of professional culture.