Nathalie Merle

A photo essay on the mental health crisis in the veterinary profession

The hidden and the unseen

Three years in the making, the series “In Man We Trust” intends to further the conversation on the mental health crisis in the veterinary profession. Far from what is imagined, the profession faces a growing number of incompatible demands – both external and internal – placing undue stress on both individuals and systems.

According to the American Medical Veterinary Association, 1 in 6 veterinarians have contemplated suicide. Studies show veterinarians to be 3 to 4 times more at risk of suicide than the general population and 2 times more at risk of suicide than human health professionals. Vet techs are up to 5 times more likely to die by suicide and as high as 70% of veterinarians have lost a colleague or peer to suicide.

Recognizing the importance in safeguarding the health of those working in the profession worldwide, a call to action was announced in 2022 by the World Veterinary Association to strengthen veterinary resilience.

The white swan will tell

Capturing the hidden and the unseen – the iceberg of mental health and wellbeing – is nearly close to impossible. The full and original series therefore relies on an emotional experience to visually voice one of just several documented risk factors: compassion fatigue. Examination of the animal in need of care is intentionally brought into focus to provoke feelings of empathy, connection and understanding.

Unfamiliar with the many challenges of the profession, it may be difficult to imagine how veterinarians and related caretakers might succumb to situations of emotional distress and burnout.

Casting light on a hidden epidemic

No single animal, nor context, can visually capture the iceberg of this growing epidemic. With the help of comparisons and drawing from different disciplines, the white swan is however uniquely positioned to cast light on the magnitude and importance of an epidemic that touches the profession worldwide.

In risk management, a white swan is considered a “highly certain event” with an impact that can easily be estimated. Contrary to the black swan theory, coined back in 2007 by statistician Nicholas Taleb, a white swan event can be managed if done so properly. Synonymous with risk analysis, the white swan carries symbolic value, perhaps even prophetic, to embody this growing epidemic and its associated socio-economic and environmental implications.

It is important to note that the increased risks of burnout, depression, substance abuse and death by suicide are not isolated to practitioners and veterinary students but extend to all those involved in animal care – and are compounded in sectors where animal welfare is least considered.

Two sides of the same coin

Human health, specifically from the mental health standpoint, and animal sentience are literally two sides of the same coin and can no longer stand to be considered in isolation from one another. Until we fully embrace our interrelatedness, conservation efforts will only fall short of sustainable and lasting impact.

A call to action...strengthening resilience

Equally symbolic of hope and resilience, a swan’s inherent beauty may gracefully lead us to embrace differences across all species and encourage us to seek uniting commonalities. It is within this realm of understanding that we may discover a mutually responsive and cooperative form of resilience.

Known as the silent killer, experts stress the importance of giving voice to suicide to dispel taboo, stigma, and shame. Knowing is half the battle. Raising as much collective awareness around this issue will serve the profession and the very animals we wish to protect.

Addressing the white swan in the room

As defined by the WHO, "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." The veterinary profession is certainly not the only occupation subject to high suicide rates. Suicide and mental health are recognized global public health issues and concerns every single one of us.

Veterinarians are critical public health professionals trained to promote an interdisciplinary approach to solving global health problems. We simply cannot afford this profession to suffer in silence. Supporting resilience in the veterinary profession is key to developing sustainable climate change policies.

Addressing "the white swan in the room" will nonetheless require breaking down the many silos on mental health care and a number of inconvenient truths that extend all the way to animal sentience. Mental health and animal sentience are nothing less than two sides of the same inconvenient truth: the shared capacity to experience pain, distress and suffering. Much like mental illness does not stem from personality weakness or character flaw, animals are not inferior in their capacity to feel and suffer.

The veterinary profession faces a number of incompatible demands and maddening incoherencies, which extend to policies that fall short in viewing veterinarians as keystone contributors to the climate change landscape. Incapacitating veterinarians from speaking out and acting in accordance with the profession's intention creates profound ethical conflict and comes with a psychic cost, itself leading to emotional exhaustion and burnout.

Empowering veterinarians to act as climate change leaders and planetary health stewards, through actionable policy and coherent One Health approaches, is paramount if we are to properly address the complex and multi-faceted global climate crisis. Clearly, this cannot be done when the profession is so profoundly broken.

Photo story exhibition, publication and competition:

An interview with Sanctuary Doc, “A White Swan Event” (2024)

Work exhibited online by “Your Art Your Story” for their 3rd Annual Mental Health Awareness Art Show (YAYS, 2024)

Work exhibited at the “One Sustainable Health Forum” in Lyon (Musée des Confluences, 2023)

‘Honorable Mention’ with Prix de la Photographie Paris (PX3, 2022)