The Cost of Caring

Veterinarians have one of the highest suicide rates in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Veterinary Medical Association published a joint study in 2019 indicating that veterinarians were more likely to die by suicide compared with the general U.S. population. Female veterinarians were 3.5 times more likely, and male veterinarians were 2.1 times more likely to take their own lives than the average. Multiple stressors play a role, and most of the stress arises from the daily demands of their work, which include euthanizing beloved pets, a ceaseless drive towards perfection, a poor work-life balance, and being cyberbullied and vilified by disgruntled pet owners who feel the doctors don't respond quickly enough to meet their expectations. The collection of pressures they encounter lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and depression among this group of professionals who have dedicated their hearts and lives to caring for vulnerable animals. THE COST OF CARING is an hour-long documentary that explores the challenges veterinarians face and ways to address these obstacles.

Duration: 56 minutes and 46 seconds

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