It’s Mental Health Awareness Week. I hadn’t planned it, but a certain package I had been waiting for arrived just in time – a navy sweatshirt with pale blue writing on. Many vets will know what this symbolises, demonstrating how tightly knit our profession is.
From the age of 15, I spent a lot of my spare time at a small animal practice, and I will never forget – before vet school, probably aged 16 to 17 – the head vet sat me down and said: “Have I talked to you about suicide?” He went on to explain the suicide rate in vets is four times the national average, every vet knows someone who has committed suicide and a couple of people in his year at vet school had.
Reality of vet working life
He was never someone to mince his words. I was a little alarmed at the time, but we had many conversations like this, where he would try to lay down the reality of working life as a vet.
I don’t think he was trying to put me off being a vet, despite clearly saying he wouldn’t encourage his own daughters to do it, and I strongly believe his reference is the reason I got into vet school.
But he wanted to be entirely transparent about the profession and demonstrate what I was letting myself in for. Only now, I fully appreciate what he was trying to do.
Poor mental health and suicide are actively discussed at vet school. While we know the reportedly high suicide rate among vets, with such a small community making up the profession, it still comes as a shock when you hear a vet has been driven to the point he or she feels his or her only solution is to take his or her life.
Campaign for change
Members of the profession are trying to spread the word through wearing the “Be Kind” jumpers in memory of a vet who campaigned for change – she was actively involved in raising awareness of poor mental health in the profession, yet lost her own battle with depression.
While I didn’t know her personally, I know people who did and was utterly shocked, especially since from the outside she seemed so determined to improve the mental health and well-being of vets. It is utterly heartbreaking.
As a profession, I think we are getting better at talking about mental health, and many practices are recognising the importance of not overworking staff and allowing them to have enough time to have a life outside work. Yet, there’s still so much room for improvement – some stigma exists and we find it difficult to open up about it.
Looking out for each other
So, for Mental Health Awareness Week, be kind.
If you’re a vet, be kind to your colleagues – the job can be highly pressured, but we shouldn’t take it out on each other. You don’t know if a colleague or friend may be close to the edge. Ask him or her how he or she is doing, make sure your vet friends know you’re just a telephone call or text message away.
If you’re a client, be kind to your vet. When we’re running late, when your prescription isn’t ready, when we can’t magically fix your animal because medicine doesn’t work like that; please remember being a vet is often stressful. Be kind.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Try to take some time for yourself – whether to exercise, have a long soak in the bath or read a non-veterinary book. If you’re struggling, talk to your friends, family or an independent body – such as Vetlife, which provides a free anonymous helpline and email support for those vets, VNs and students in need. For every “Be Kind” jumper purchased, some money can be donated to Vetlife.
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