09/16/2025
From one physician to another: you are not alone
Physician Colleagues,
Today, September 17, is National Physician Suicide Awareness Day — a time to reflect on the hidden toll of a profession devoted to caring for others.
As physicians we pursue an impossible ideal — perfection — because even the smallest oversight can have devastating consequences. There is virtually no margin for error.
We are more than simply “providers.” We are mentors and educators, researchers and leaders. We are also parents, spouses, caregivers, friends, and neighbors. We pour ourselves into every role, often at the expense of our own health and families. It is a weight we carry willingly, knowing perfection is impossible yet still striving for it — because our patients deserve nothing less. This is our sacred duty and privilege.
But that same standard is also why physicians are so vulnerable to burnout, depression, and suicide. Recent surveys show that 15% of U.S. physicians have experienced suicidal thoughts — up sharply from 9% just two years ago. On average, we lose 1 U.S. physician a day to suicide, leaving a lasting impact on families, colleagues, and entire communities. We enter this profession to heal others, yet the truth is that physicians struggle with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts at rates higher than the very patients we care for.
I have struggled. I have felt overwhelmed, as if I were drowning. I have felt weak and worthless — a burden to those I love. In my darkest moments I pictured ways to end my life, thinking the world might be better off without me. The guilt and shame of never feeling “good enough” — as a surgeon, a father, a husband — weighed heavily. I finally asked for help, and I received it. Too many never do.
We must look out for one another as a physician community — as a collective family — because God knows this job is tough sometimes. I’m grateful for finding that community in the Academy of Medicine, where the only voices in the room belong to physicians— those who care directly for patients, who witness the system’s struggles and its victories, and who understand the toll this work takes on our wellbeing.
Today, let’s break down the barriers and stigma around mental health. Let’s speak openly about how to support one another and reject a “resiliency” culture that prizes silence and stoicism. Check in with a physician near you — even a single conversation can save a life. If you are struggling, please ask for help.
For ways to seek help or to give help, please find resources below.
This work is hard, but you are not alone — and you never will be.
Chris Paprzycki, MD
President, Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati
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