It’s a frightening statistic: as medical malpractice attorneys, we were surprised when we read about a new study by the Archives of Surgery that found one in 16 surgeons has considered killing themselves within the past year because of burnout and stress over past medical errors.

The study also shows that surgeons, ages 55-64, had stress levels triple the national average.

Researchers reported that it wasn’t the thought of suicide that endangered patient health, but that burnout did appear to affect the quality of care. The survey also showed that only a fourth of the surgeons reached out for professional help. The reason why most avoid counseling? Their fear of losing their medical license.