Flynn Hargreaves was 27 years old and working his dream job with animals as a veterinarian in London.
But that very same year, Hargreaves would take his own life.
Jack Levitt, Hargreaves’s best friend from high school, described the Melbourne-born vet as a “colourful and vibrant character” who “lit up a room”.
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“He really was the life of the party,” he told 7NEWS.com.au.
“But that’s quite common with people we end up losing to suicide.”
Now, five years later, Levitt is on a mission to raise awareness of the incredibly high suicide rates among veterinarians.
In fact, in Australia, vets are four times more likely to die by suicide than the general population and, two times more likely than other medical professionals, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) reports.
That means on average, a vet takes their own life every 12 weeks.
But as Levitt explained, Hargreaves “absolutely loved being a vet”.
“It was challenging, but he loved it,” Levitt said.
“He was an incredibly smart guy and was a very self-aware person and surrounded himself with good people and good energy.
“So being a veterinarian and the stress that came with that was certainly part of the picture.
“But he had his struggles in life like anyone, and I guess no one really understood the depths of those challenges.”
Contributing factors
Levitt said behind the scenes, practising veterinarians face many additional stresses that the general public may not see.
Emotional stress, low pay, unrealistic expectations from clients, euthanizing animals and long hours are all known contributors to poor mental health within the field.
“They train for as long as a GP or a dentist and earn significantly less money even though they come out of the study with a similar level of debt,” Levitt said.
AVA President, Dr Diana Barker echoed this sentiment, adding that the emotional stress of the job could be much harder than people realised.
“The client interactions and the long hours are very emotionally draining, and they get that compassion fatigue,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.
“Those are probably the things that contribute from inside the workplace.
“But the problem is when you’re feeling that drainage after work, it’s really difficult to then go away and do the things that make yourself feel good and feel better, such as exercise and those kinds of things.
“It’s a vicious cycle.”
Barker said while the issue is something that is commonly discussed within the industry, it is a difficult topic to try and raise awareness of.
“The other problem we’re having at the moment is that because it’s being talked about so much, it can turn some people off the profession,” she said.
“And that’s a real shame.
“It is actually a fantastic profession, and it’s really rewarding.”
Flynn’s Walk
Shortly after the death of Hargreaves, Levitt started a walk to honour his memory, bring together the community and spread awareness of the mental health issues faced by veterinary professionals.
“There’s so many people leading thought in this space for us,” he said.
“And the walk is about letting the community in and saying, ‘hey let’s wrap our arms around the veterinary field’.
“Because they care deeply about your animals … they care to a fault and actually, as a result of them giving so much of their capacity to you that’s why they get into vet science.”
Levitt added many people don’t fully understand the true costs that go into treating a pet.
“Because they don’t have any subsidies in the field, you see the true cost of medical care,” he said.
“It’s expensive and because it’s expensive, there’s a negative connotation, but we should be looking at the treatment with more gratitude.”
‘Be patient and kind’
But all in all, Levitt says their foundation wants to remind everyone of all the hard work our veterinarians put in for our pets.
“At the end of the day, they are humans on the other side of the consult table,” he said.
“For us, going to the vet might be the biggest thing that causes you stress in your life for that week or that month. But for the veterinarian or the nurse, they will see hundreds of these stressful situations in only a short space of time.”
Levitt described our vets as “born problem solvers” who will always collaborate with a patient to find the best cost and treatment for your animal.
“Just think about the fact they can give you what they can, but you have to reciprocate,” he said.
“It is a stressful and emotional time, but by pausing and taking a moment to go ‘this is stressful and this is upsetting me’, we can remember they are another human on the other side of that table.
“We just really want to remind people to be patient and to be kind.”
To get involved in Flynn’s Walk visit the website here.
If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
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