The Scourge of Mental Health in Animal Health Professionals

Animal health professionals play a crucial role in society by taking care of the health and well-being of animals. However, their importance goes far beyond treating animals. These professionals are sentinels of human, environmental, and animal health.

In addition to working on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases in pets, livestock, and wildlife, animal health professionals contribute to zoonotic disease prevention. Therefore, they serve the population by protecting public health, food safety, biodiversity, and the environment, thus one could say that their work generates significant impact on the economy and sustainability.

Despite the significant importance of animal health professionals in the promotion of One Health, there has been a great deal of concern regarding their mental health and quality of life. According to VetSurvey in 2023, 90% of veterinarians in Europe reported high levels of stress, and 23% reported a medical leave due to depression, burnout, or compassion fatigue in the last three years. Fatigue, lack of professional fulfillment, isolation, sacrifice, cynicism, insomnia, digestive issues, and migraines are the most reported symptoms of burnout according to Amerivet in the United States. Sadly, similar data was found across other studies. In 2022, on a study conducted in Australia 60% of veterinarians reported experiences of stress, depression, and anxiety, that demand medical attention. Moreover, 70% of veterinarians knew a colleague who had committed suicide. In fact, according to the National Center for Health Statistics between 1979 and 2015, around 400 veterinarians in the United States committed suicide. These alarming numbers across several countries, underscore the mental health crisis among veterinary professionals.

Portugal is the European country where veterinarians reported the highest levels of stress. In the VetSurvey conducted in 2021, 4 out of 10 veterinary technicians and nurses revealed to feel extremely tired. The large number of working hours allied to sleep deprivation impact on these professionals’ mental and physical health. Additionally, according to the VetSurvey 2023, Portuguese veterinarians are among the 3 countries with the lowest job satisfaction rates, which when allied with to low income (50% of veterinarians in Portugal earn up to 19,200 euros per year), exacerbates the issue.

The American Veterinary Medical Association in the United States lists several causes of burnout among veterinarians, highlighting unfair treatment at work, overwhelming workload, lack of clarity in professional roles, lack of communication or perceived support from managers, time pressure, student loans, increasing expectations from pet owners, compassion fatigue, and poor work-life balance. All these factors contribute to a fast mental exhaustion among these professionals, leading to an epidemic of suicides in this professional field. The risk of suicide among veterinary professionals is 2.1 to 12 times higher than in the general population. In Portugal, although there is no official data, it is estimated that the suicidal ideation may be 5.5 times higher than general population, making it the veterinary professional field the one that shows the highest suicide rate. In fact, a study from the Psychology Center of the University of Porto and Lusófona University of Porto found that 25% of veterinary professionals reported regular self-harming behaviors, anxiety, depression, and stress. Over 10% of them showed burnout symptoms, and more than 15% stated suicidal thoughts.

Public Perception of the Profession
In a study conducted in 2021, 61% of Portugueses considered veterinarians essential for ensuring the well-being of their pets, and 52.8% seek advice from veterinaries on several topics, such as, health, education, and feeding their pets. However, a more critical view of these professionals is also suggested, and jeopardize their perceived importance and utility by general public. On a vector-borne zoonoses study, 93% of Portuguese respondents indicated that veterinarians do not provide sufficient information about the diseases. Thus, veterinarians can be perceived as uninformed and challenged on the communication of vital information. This perception undermines the confidence on veterinarians regarding public health matters, where their role is also often undervalued.

Furthermore, the lack of recognition on veterinarians’ importance and value in areas beyond pet care is shown. In 2020, a study conducted in the United States based on online perceptions, highlighted the absence of discussions about veterinarians’ contributions to human health, food safety, and global health initiatives related to One Health. Moreover, it is revealed that the general public, in online contexts, does not acknowledge the mental health challenges faced by veterinarians. Similarly, a study conducted in Brazil has shown that, although 92.9% of respondents claimed to know about veterinarians’ work, only 3.1% recognized their role in public health. These data indicate that, despite being considered important, veterinarians face undervaluation and misunderstanding of their roles in critical areas, which can contribute to demotivation and devaluation feelings among professionals.