Psychology Today | T Miroshnichenko/Pexels
Veterinarians in the United States are 3 to 5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, with female veterinarians at particularly high risk. Animal rescue workers face a suicide rate of 5.3 per million—on par with firefighters and police officers. The reasons are complex: daily exposure to suffering and death, ethical dilemmas, compassion fatigue, and the emotional burden of euthanasia all play a role.