Bengt B. Arnetz

Suicide patterns among physicians related to other academics as well as to the general population. Results from a national long-term prospective study and a retrospective study

ABSTRACT— In the present study, we have followed a national cohort of physicians, academics and the general population (part of the compulsory census in 1960) for a period of 10 years and identified all cases of suicide during the period 1961 ‐ 1970. Furthermore, we have carried out a retrospective study of suicides among the four major medical specialist groups (general practioners, internists, psychiatrists and general surgeons) and compared these rates with other medical specialists.

Suicide among Swedish Dentists: A Ten-Year Follow-Up Study

In the present study, we have followed a national cohort of dentists, academics, i.e. people with three or more years of post-high school education, and the general population for a period of ten years, and identified all cases of recognized suicide during the period 1961 to 1970. The aim of the study was to assess whether suicide rates are higher among dentists even after adjustment for socioeconomic factors. Results show an elevated standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for male dentists compared to other male academics. Female dentists did not exhibit any increased risk. It is suggested that enhanced interest should be given to the possible etiologic role of not only psychosocial factors but also to psychoorganic consequences of mercury exposure among dentists.

Longterm effects of a social rehabilitation programme for elderly people: physiological predictors and mortality data

The purpose of this study was to assess possible effects on five-year survival rates of a social rehabilitation programme for elderly institutionalized people. A total of 50 elderly people were randomly selected and allocated to either a control group or a social activation intervention group. A number of physiological parameters were assessed as was the initial health status. Five-year mortality rates showed no differences between the control (10 dead out of the original 27) and the intervention group (8/23). The former, however, tended to have a higher relocation rate to geriatric hospitals, 7/27 and 4/23 respectively. Survivors, in general, had lower systolic blood pressure (145 vs 152 mmHg) and lower serum cholesterol (6.0 vs 6.4 mmol/I). The results indicate a need to reassess the assumed beneficial effects on survival of social activation programmes initiated in late life. The study indicates that risk factors for early death from cardiovascular diseases in a younger population (systolic blood pressure and serum cholesterol) also hold true for older institutionalized subjects, with the possible exception for high density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL), which showed an inverse relationship to survival. Larger scaled studies are warranted.