In Response to: Mental Health access
As a nurse who has recently lost a colleague to suicide, I cannot read this article without feeling the weight of its urgency. Nurses and healthcare workers are at significantly higher risk of suicide than the general population, and the barriers described are lived realities. I echo your sentiment loudly, “When your job involves caring, it’s not always easy to get the care you personally need.” When a nurse dies by suicide, the grief is overwhelming to the organization and the community they served. It isn’t just the loss of a friend and teammate, it is the painful feeling that we failed to protect one of our own.
The article’s call for a culture shift resonates deeply. Fear of stigma, professional repercussions, costs, and the challenges in scheduling mental health appointments around 12-hour shifts are indeed barriers. Nurses, health technicians, and support staff all show higher suicide rates compared to non-healthcare professions due to the chronic stress, trauma exposure, and perfectionistic expectations in our field. In 2023, suicide claimed over 49,000 lives making it one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. These statistics are not just numbers, they represent colleagues, mentors, and friends.
The recommended initiatives are not optional. They are urgent! If we want to prevent more tragedies, we must normalize mental health care as part of professional practice and support our colleagues even when they don’t know they need the support. Truly, “mental health care is healthcare” and as nurses, we cannot continue to heal others while silently breaking ourselves. The numbers are undeniable, and the memories of our colleagues make the call to action deeply personal. It’s time for us to heal.
Kafayat Abba MSN, RN, CDP, CCRN-CMC, NE-BC
New York, NY
