Everyone thinks about suicide now and then. As a junior doctor if I felt a bit peeved or on the edge, I just went off to buy another bag of yummy fish and chips or chocolate or both. It's probably why I got fat as a junior doctor but comfort eating has its advantages. I couldn't believe I had worked so hard through medical school to end up with a set of inhuman employers and colleagues. It was a disappointment and it upset me. A lot of my working colleagues( apart from Dr Rohen Kapur who is lovely) can be added to the inhuman category. I was lucky not to jump off a cliff. Firstly its a disaster if you can't afford expensive lingerie if the paramedics found you and secondly it's a boring end to an otherwise adventure of a life. Lastly, suicide attempts don't always end in death. They end in disability. So I reasoned that eating fish and chips was a good solution and alternative to any of my down times. I guess I was lucky to have non medical friends. They always had a quirky outlook to the medical toad I described for each night. I think outlook is vital. I also think all doctors should stop drinking alcohol, stop smoking and stop taking drugs. This may well enable a clearer thought process. My only vices were chocolate and fish/chips but thats a personal strategy. Every doctor needs to find their own solution to stress. I'm grateful to Thornton's for all their delicious chocolate did for me. I'm also indebted to Harry Ramsden's Fish and Chips. Don't knock these vices because I enjoyed these addictions and am still alive after that non BMA diet. Comfort eating is probably a great thing if it saves you from escalating off an edge. Suicide is a real issue for doctors. It's really because many arent ready for life in a fast moving factory like the NHS. Everything is dehumanised including junior doctors. Support is minimal and there is peer pressure to handle. This junior doctor in the Guardian tells the rest of the tale. It's worth a read. http://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/views-from-the-nhs-frontline/2016/jan/05/doctor-suicide-hospital-nhs?CMP=ema-1700&CMP= It's always worth noting down the support numbers from the article above. You never know when you will need it.