Veterinarian suicide rate four times higher: customer behavior is one explanation

The suicide rate is four times higher among veterinarians than in the rest of the population. The sector has once more recorded several acts of violence in recent weeks in different provinces of Wallonia. Why? Partly because of sometimes conflicting relationships with clients, although this is not the only explanation.

Our team met Lucie Delaloye in her office in Couvin. The ultrasound machine reveals the future litter of the female dog Réa to its owners. A privileged moment between the masters and their veterinarian. “It’s really nice for us, and to see people happy to have young people too, it’s always very nice“, confides Lucie Delaloye.

But behind these warm consultations hides a more painful reality. Disgruntled customers, not understanding, and sometimes threatening. “Often we can be insulted because we have to pay for a service. For example, if we come at night, it’s 120 euros per consultation and people don’t understand that they have to pay 120 euros because they disturbed a vet at 4 a.m.“, explains Lucie for example.”Sometimes we have the anger of people in the face. Plus the fatigue, it’s really a mixture of many things“.

I need to express it a lot

Lucie Delaloye is only 26 years old and has only one year of practice behind her, but these conflicting interactions sometimes call into question her passion for the profession. “It’s not easy, but I have the opportunity to talk regarding it anyway. My companion is a veterinarian in another structure, and that helps us a lot because we both share these same problems. I also went to see a psychologist to talk. I need to express it a lot, so I talk regarding it around me“, indicates the specialist.”With all my colleagues who came out of the same class as me, we all experienced this great disillusionment“.

This is one of the causes that make veterinarians feel bad regarding their profession.

At the head of a veterinary clinic and a federation of the sector, Bernard Gauthier denounces this pressure from certain customers. He reads us some criticisms made repeatedly on social networks: “Shame on this vet who takes herself for God“, “Overpriced clinic where we like to push more for consumption“.

This partly explains the suicide rate four times higher among veterinarians than in the rest of the population. “It is clear that this is one of the causes. One of the causes that make vets feel bad regarding their profession“, indicates Bernard Gauthier.

Euthanasia at your fingertips

Another element explains these actions: the presence of specific medical products nearby. The president of the Veterinary Professional Union shows us some of the drugs that are usually found in a cabinet. “These are the euthanasia that we use. These are usually barbiturates in very high doses. They are there, they are available, so it’s very easy, in quotes, when you have a moment of despair“, he tells us.

As if they didn’t have the right to have weaknesses or to be in distress

Helping those who think regarding suicide is the daily life of Florence Ringlet’s association. His observation: veterinarians who are faced, for example, with an overload of work, financial problems or loneliness find it difficult to ask for support. “Compared to what is conveyed by the general population, it is that they have a profession recognized socially. So they don’t complain regarding feeling good or not. As if they didn’t have the right to have weaknesses or to be in distress at times“, explains the therapeutic director of the ASBL” A pass in the dead end “.

Working with others: a solution for some

“Obviously, vets thrive more when they work together than when they work alone. There are some who do very well on their own too, but those who say they do the best are those who work in groups.“, indicates Bernard Gauthier.

Working with colleagues is the option chosen by Lucie Delaloye. Often under pressure, the young veterinarian does not intend to leave the profession.