Mental illness, asymmetries between genders in the medical profession, and the need for intervention: a literature review

The medical profession has notorious health impacts on professionals, shown by the proportionately higher prevalence of depression and suicide among doctors than in the general population. However, given the asymmetries between genders in human relations, there is the need to elucidate gender disparities within the medical profession and Academia, and develop proposals capable of minimizing the harmful aspects of the career. To this end, we conducted a literature review that included the analysis of thirty articles published in Portuguese, English and French in PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar over the last ten years. The findings confirm the vulnerability of female doctors, manifested in increased rates of depression and suicide. We propose measures to improve this situation through prevention and intervention strategies.

Keywords
Suicide; Depression; Doctors; Medical students; Medical education