Suicidal ideation and burnout among psychiatric trainees in Japan

Aim: Burnout is a psychological condition that may occur in all workers after being exposed to excessive work-related stresses. We investigated suicidal ideation and burnout among Japanese psychiatric trainees as a part of the Burnout Syndrome Study (BoSS) International.

Methods: In the Japanese branch, 91 trainees fully completed suicide ideation and behaviour questionnaire (SIBQ) and Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS).

Results: Passive suicidal ideation was reported by 38.5% of Japanese trainees and 22.0% of them had experienced active suicidal ideation. The burnout rate among Japanese subjects was 40.0%. These results were worse compared to the all 1980 trainees who fully completed the main outcome measure in BoSS International, 25.9%, 20.4% and 36.7%, respectively.

Conclusions: Our results suggest a higher risk of suicide among Japanese residents. Japan has a higher suicide rate than other countries. Early detection of, and appropriate intervention for, suicidal ideation is important in preventing suicide in psychiatry residents.