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Slogging #24: The Dentist Suicide Rate Myth and a Moment When Google Doesn't Autosuggest
by David SmookeJanuary 12th, 2021
Too Long; Didn't Read
The dentist is not more likely than other professions to commit suicide than other profession to do so. Google's auto-suggesting search engine stops working when typing "democrats are" and "republicans are" Google tries to take apolitical stance by suggesting nothing to type. Cited by 129 sources... and the copy doesn't work in the browser. The internet, and its perception on face value, has it scaled like dentist suicide propensity? The internet is the -lishing of public but it is missing "ic"?People Mentioned
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This Slack discussion with Utsav Jaiswal occurred in Slogging's official #expert-interviews channel.
David Smooke
Why do you think it is that dentists have such a high suicide rate? 
Utsav Jaiswal
I think it's alienation from the process itself and it manifests in every field that is becoming process-oriented. David Smooke
What's alienating about bacteria mouth maintenance? Utsav Jaiswal
That's periodontics. Just one of the 9 or 10 branches, depending on who you ask. Alienation goes beyond dentistry. For example, farmers in India account for over 10% of all suicides in India. Utsav Jaiswal
But, in the context of dentistry alone, it could be a multiplicity of factors at play.David Smooke
Suicide and profession correlations were maybe not the place to start... Sometimes a question just pops in there, like what is the most essential periodontic branch? Or what is a value of a spotless computer? Or why is it that publishing is the -lishing of public but it is missing "ic"? 
Utsav Jaiswal
Here's an academic paper (cited by about 129 sources) that claims that the correlation between dentists and suicides is a myth that we take as face value: http://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-68/issue-4/adaarticle.pdf David Smooke
Hmm doing the old quick college scan --- was going to copy and paste a couple quotes about the reliability of the data and the conclusion that dentists are not more likely than other professions to commit suicide ---- but it's a PDF and copy doesn't work in the browser. Cited by 129 sources... and the copy doesn't work. 2021! Utsav Jaiswal
lol..works at my end. Let me send over a screenshot of the abstract 
David Smooke
Do you have an aha moment of when you decided to stop being a dentist? Utsav Jaiswal
I was in my 4th of my 5 year course when I decided that I cannot work under the 'customs' of healthcare practice prevalent worldwide. David Smooke
Which customs? Utsav Jaiswal
People outside healthcare EXPECT us to be those noble creatures but the entire training curriculum is anything but. Utsav Jaiswal
If a doctor isn't trained to be the bearer of good news and develop empathetic skills (which is harder that you'd think), the patients could be blocks of wood that squeal for all they care (apologies for the crude analogy) David Smooke
The specialization of labor can lead to a detachment from the impact of one's work. David Smooke
Or maybe a quality education trains the dentist on empathy too? Utsav Jaiswal
Outside of nurses, no one else learns empathy (unless they venture out on their own - and here's the kicker - be chastised for it). Even nurses learn more by way of 'learn on the job' and less by curriculum mandates David Smooke
Looking back on my experiences in hospitals, it is the nurses who I think kindly of. Utsav Jaiswal
No wonder - they're your first PoC, the primary care-givers, and even administer certain procedures like IV placements better than most doctors - who only come visit you during rounds. David Smooke
Let's get back to the the internet, and its perception on face value.What other alleged myths has it scaled like dentist suicide propensity?
Utsav Jaiswal
I love this - pretty much every sterotype that exists has been been exacerbated by the Internet. Utsav Jaiswal
Democrats are _____, Republicans are _____, China is ______, David Smooke
Hmm googling ("incognito") 
Utsav Jaiswal
this is very sane. Expected a lot worse. But, I guess, Google started monitoring those for hate-speech. David Smooke
Try typing "democrats are" and "republicans are" into google --- guess what happens? the autosuggest stops working lol. Even though there are millions of results for "democrats are" and "republicans are" the search engine tries to take apolitical stance by suggesting nothing to type. 
Utsav Jaiswal
Wow.
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