Mental Health in Veterinary Professionals

Mental health in veterinary professionals has become one of the most widely studied occupational health topics in veterinary medicine. Research from multiple countries consistently shows that veterinarians, veterinary nurses, technicians, students, and other members of the veterinary team face substantial psychological demands from caring for animals, supporting clients, making ethically complex decisions, and working in fast-paced clinical environments. Although many veterinary professionals report meaningful careers and derive satisfaction from helping animals and their caregivers, the profession also faces elevated rates of burnout, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, compassion fatigue, and suicidal ideation compared with many other occupational groups (Pohl et al., 2022; Perret et al., 2020; Campbell et al., 2023).

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Importantly, current evidence indicates that these outcomes do not arise from a single cause. Instead, veterinary mental health reflects interactions among workplace demands, organizational culture, emotional labor, client expectations, ethical responsibilities, workload, and broader occupational conditions. Studies increasingly recognize that protecting veterinary mental health, veterinary professional well-being, and veterinarians' psychological well-being requires understanding both individual experiences and the systems in which veterinary teams work (Hilton et al., 2022; Pohl et al., 2022).

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This Major Pillar provides an evidence-based overview of the current understanding of mental health in veterinary professionals, introducing key concepts, occupational challenges, and research themes shaping this rapidly expanding field.

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What This Major Pillar Covers

 

Mental health in veterinary professionals encompasses the psychological, emotional, and occupational well-being of individuals working throughout veterinary medicine. The available literature includes veterinarians in companion animal, equine, livestock, wildlife, laboratory animal, public health, research, academia, and industry settings, as well as veterinary nurses, technicians, support staff, interns, residents, and veterinary students.

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Current research primarily focuses on:

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• occupational stress and psychological distress

• burnout

• compassion fatigue

• secondary traumatic stress

• depression and anxiety

• suicide risk and suicidal ideation

• workplace culture

• work-life balance

• resilience and professional quality of life

• organizational influences on well-being

 

Evidence consistently demonstrates that veterinary medicine presents unique occupational exposures that differ from many other healthcare professions. Daily responsibilities often include emotionally demanding client conversations, euthanasia, financial constraints affecting patient care, emergency decision-making, long work hours, staffing shortages, and high professional responsibility. Rather than viewing these factors in isolation, modern research increasingly examines how combinations of workplace demands contribute to overall mental wellness in veterinary medicine (Christiansen & Clausen, 2024; Neubauer et al., 2024).

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The strongest body of evidence documents the prevalence of mental health challenges and identifies occupational risk factors. By comparison, fewer studies have evaluated long-term outcomes or determined which workplace interventions consistently improve well-being across diverse veterinary settings (Stetina & Krouzecky, 2022; Silva et al., 2023).

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Why This Area Matters

 

Mental health affects veterinary professionals, veterinary teams, animal care, workplace sustainability, and the profession's long-term strength. As veterinary medicine continues to expand in complexity, understanding occupational psychological health has become an essential component of veterinary workforce research.

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Systematic reviews consistently identify higher levels of burnout, anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation among veterinarians than in many comparison populations (Pohl et al., 2022; Perret et al., 2020). Canadian research reported elevated burnout, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression together with lower resilience, while more than one-quarter of surveyed veterinarians reported suicidal thoughts during the previous year (Perret et al., 2020). Similar findings have been reported in Portugal, Austria, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Spain, and other countries, indicating that these challenges extend beyond any single healthcare system or culture (Peixoto, 2024; Neubauer et al., 2024).

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Large-scale studies also show that psychological burden is closely linked to workplace experiences rather than individual characteristics alone. Long working hours, excessive workload, insufficient recovery time, ethical conflicts, emotionally difficult consultations, staffing shortages, and work-life imbalance consistently emerge as important contributors to mental health challenges in veterinary medicine (Volk et al., 2024; Pohl et al., 2022; Hilton et al., 2022).

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The consequences extend beyond individual well-being. Qualitative studies suggest that psychological distress may influence concentration, communication, decision-making, teamwork, and perceptions of care quality, highlighting the importance of considering veterinary occupational health as both an individual and organizational concern (Campbell et al., 2023).

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Recent evidence also broadens attention beyond veterinarians alone. Veterinary nurses, technicians, students, and other support staff contribute substantially to patient care, yet comparatively fewer studies have examined their experiences despite emerging evidence that some groups experience similarly high—or even higher—levels of psychological distress (Volk et al., 2024; King et al., 2024).

Understanding these occupational patterns helps place veterinary workplace well-being within the broader context of workforce sustainability, staff retention, and professional quality of life.

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How This Major Pillar Relates to Mental Health & Human–Animal Interaction Overview

 

This page forms part of the Mental Health & Human–Animal Interaction Overview within the CountryVetMom Veterinary Knowledge System.

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The parent system examines the broad relationships between psychological health, human–animal interactions, animal-assisted experiences, caregiver well-being, occupational mental health, and the emotional dimensions of veterinary medicine. It provides foundational context for understanding how interactions with animals influence human psychological experiences across multiple settings.

Mental Health in Veterinary Professionals is one major pillar within that broader framework, focusing specifically on individuals working in veterinary medicine. Rather than examining human–animal interaction in general, this pillar explores the occupational realities of veterinary practice, including workplace demands, emotional labor, professional quality of life, and organizational influences that shape veterinary team mental health.

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Readers seeking an overview of the complete system can begin with the parent page:

Mental Health & Human–Animal Interaction Overview

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The remaining sections of this pillar introduce the principal concepts that underpin current research before exploring the two core child topics in greater depth.

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Key Concepts Within This Pillar

 

Current evidence organizes mental health in veterinary professionals around several interconnected concepts rather than a single diagnosis or outcome.

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One of the most widely studied is compassion fatigue, which describes the cumulative emotional impact of caring for suffering animals and supporting distressed owners. Researchers frequently distinguish compassion fatigue from related constructs such as secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction, recognizing that helping professions often involve both rewarding and emotionally taxing experiences.

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Another central concept is burnout, generally characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism, and reduced professional accomplishment. Burnout has become one of the most studied indicators of veterinary workplace well-being, with large international studies linking it to workload, organizational culture, work-life balance, and occupational stressors (Ouedraogo et al., 2021; Takefuji, 2025).

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Researchers also examine broader measures of professional quality of life, incorporating positive experiences such as compassion satisfaction alongside negative outcomes including burnout and secondary traumatic stress. This multidimensional perspective recognizes that veterinary work is neither uniformly harmful nor uniformly rewarding, but often includes both positive and challenging psychological experiences (Ouedraogo et al., 2021).

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Additional research explores occupational stress, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms, resilience, moral distress, workplace relationships, and organizational culture. To help distinguish these core phenomena, occupational health research differentiates them across their primary drivers, core presentation, and operational domain:

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• Burnout

  • Primary Driver: Chronic workplace stress, heavy workload, administrative burden, and lack of systemic support.

  • Core Presentation: Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization/cynicism, and a diminished sense of professional accomplishment.

  • Operational Domain: Systemic and organizational environment.

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• Compassion Fatigue

  • Primary Driver: Prolonged empathic engagement with suffering animals and distressed caregivers.

  • Core Presentation: Cumulative emotional exhaustion, reduced empathic capacity, and persistent psychological drain.

  • Operational Domain: Relational and caregiving interactions.

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• Secondary Traumatic Stress

  • Primary Driver: Indirect exposure to acute traumatic events (e.g., severe cruelty, catastrophic emergencies, mass euthanasia).

  • Core Presentation: Intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, and avoidance behaviors related to traumatic client/patient cases.

  • Operational Domain: Traumatic exposure and event-based stress.

 

Attention is also increasing toward veterinary resilience, work-life balance for veterinarians, and veterinary support systems, although systematic reviews conclude that evidence supporting effective interventions remains considerably less developed than evidence documenting the problem itself (Pohl et al., 2022; Stetina & Krouzecky, 2022).

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Together, these concepts provide the foundation for understanding the two major topics explored throughout this pillar:

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• Compassion Fatigue 

• Burnout & Workplace Well-Being 

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These child pillars examine the evidence surrounding each topic in greater depth while building on the foundational concepts introduced here.

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Compassion Fatigue

 

Compassion is fundamental to veterinary medicine. Every day, veterinary professionals provide care for animals experiencing illness, injury, chronic disease, pain, and end-of-life conditions while simultaneously supporting owners through emotionally difficult decisions. This combination of medical responsibility and emotional caregiving contributes to one of the profession's most widely studied psychological challenges: compassion fatigue.

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Compassion fatigue refers to the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of prolonged exposure to others' suffering. Within veterinary medicine, it commonly develops through repeated involvement with animal illness, trauma, euthanasia, ethical conflicts, and interactions with grieving clients. Researchers frequently describe compassion fatigue as a multidimensional concept that overlaps with—but remains distinct from—burnout and secondary traumatic stress. While burnout primarily reflects chronic workplace stress, compassion fatigue emphasizes the emotional cost of sustained caregiving and empathic engagement with both animals and people (Foote, 2023; Van Hooser et al., 2021).

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Interest in compassion fatigue in veterinarians has grown substantially over the past decade. Bibliometric analyses demonstrate a steady increase in scientific publications addressing compassion fatigue, burnout, depression, and occupational well-being among veterinary professionals, reflecting broader recognition that psychological health is an important component of veterinary workforce sustainability (Brščić et al., 2021; Chipangura, 2025).

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One reason compassion fatigue receives significant attention is that veterinary medicine involves caring for multiple stakeholders simultaneously. Veterinary professionals must meet animals' medical needs while also communicating with owners who may be anxious, grieving, or facing financial limitations. This dual caregiving role requires continuous empathy toward both patients and people, creating emotional demands that differ from many other healthcare professions (Campbell et al., 2023; Dow et al., 2019).

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Repeated exposure to emotionally charged situations also contributes to what researchers describe as secondary traumatic stress in veterinary medicine. Unlike direct trauma, secondary traumatic stress develops through indirect exposure to traumatic experiences encountered while caring for patients or supporting clients. Veterinary emergency practice, critical care, animal welfare work, shelter medicine, laboratory animal medicine, and euthanasia-related responsibilities are among the clinical settings frequently discussed in the literature because they involve repeated encounters with suffering, loss, or ethically difficult decisions (LaFollette et al., 2020; Scotney et al., 2015).

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Large observational studies illustrate how common these experiences can become. Among more than 5,000 full-time veterinarians in the United States, nearly 59% demonstrated high levels of secondary traumatic stress, highlighting that emotionally demanding experiences represent a routine aspect of professional life for many practitioners rather than isolated events (Ouedraogo et al., 2021).

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Importantly, compassion fatigue does not imply a lack of resilience, professionalism, or commitment. Instead, current evidence views it as a potential occupational consequence of sustained empathic caregiving. Veterinary professionals often enter the field because they strongly want to improve animal welfare and support families during difficult circumstances. Ironically, the same empathy that enhances patient care can also increase vulnerability to emotional exhaustion when adequate organizational resources, recovery opportunities, and workplace support are limited (Olson, 2022; Laura et al., 2024).

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Research also emphasizes that compassion fatigue exists alongside compassion satisfaction—the positive feelings derived from helping animals and contributing to meaningful work. Professional quality of life therefore reflects a balance between rewarding and challenging experiences rather than focusing exclusively on adverse outcomes. Many veterinary professionals continue to report high levels of purpose, fulfillment, and professional meaning despite working in emotionally demanding environments (Ouedraogo et al., 2021; Wallace, 2019).

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Recent studies have expanded this perspective by examining how workplace culture, organizational support, communication, and team dynamics influence professional quality of life. Rather than viewing compassion fatigue solely as an individual issue, researchers increasingly recognize that workplace conditions shape how emotional demands accumulate over time. This systems-based perspective aligns with broader occupational health research, which suggests that organizational factors play a substantial role in veterinary mental health outcomes (Hilton et al., 2022; Connolly et al., 2022).

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Although prevalence data describing veterinary compassion fatigue continue to grow, evidence evaluating interventions remains comparatively limited. Reviews consistently conclude that the literature is much stronger at documenting psychological burden than demonstrating which long-term strategies most effectively reduce compassion fatigue across different veterinary settings (Pohl et al., 2022; Rohlf, 2018). As a result, compassion fatigue remains an active area of veterinary occupational health research, with ongoing studies exploring how workplace environments, emotional labor, and professional quality of life interact throughout veterinary careers.

 

To examine the specific mechanisms, risk factors, and evidence surrounding caregiving stress, continue to Compassion Fatigue in Veterinary Medicine: Causes, Symptoms, and Management.

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Burnout & Workplace Well-Being

 

Burnout is one of the most extensively studied aspects of mental health in veterinary professionals. Across companion animal practice, equine medicine, food animal production, emergency and specialty hospitals, academia, and other veterinary settings, researchers consistently identify burnout as a significant occupational concern. Rather than reflecting a lack of commitment or professional dedication, burnout is widely understood as a response to chronic workplace stress that exceeds an individual's ability to recover over time (Steffey et al., 2023; Pohl et al., 2022).

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In occupational health research, burnout is commonly characterized by three interconnected dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or psychological distancing from work, and a reduced sense of professional accomplishment. Researchers have studied these dimensions extensively in healthcare professions and are increasingly applying them in veterinary medicine to understand veterinary workplace well-being, occupational stress in veterinary practice, and long-term workforce sustainability (Steffey et al., 2023; Takefuji, 2025).

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Evidence from multiple countries demonstrates that burnout is not confined to a single region or practice type. Surveys conducted in North America, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere consistently report substantial levels of emotional exhaustion and occupational stress among veterinarians and members of the veterinary team. Although recent United States data suggest burnout rates among veterinarians may now resemble those of employed adults in the general workforce, serious psychological distress remains disproportionately high, indicating that burnout represents only one component of overall veterinary mental health (Volk et al., 2024; Takefuji, 2024).

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Large observational studies illustrate the scale of the issue. A nationwide study of more than 5,000 full-time veterinarians in the United States found that approximately half met criteria for high burnout, while nearly 59% reported high levels of secondary traumatic stress (Ouedraogo et al., 2021). Similar findings have been reported among veterinary technicians, veterinary nurses, interns, residents, specialists in training, and veterinary students, suggesting that occupational stressors affect multiple stages of veterinary careers, not only experienced practitioners (Hayes et al., 2019; Kogan et al., 2020; Monticelli et al., 2023).

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One of the strongest findings across the literature is that burnout in veterinarians is closely associated with workplace conditions rather than individual personality alone. Systematic reviews consistently identify excessive workload, long working hours, staffing shortages, administrative demands, work-life imbalance, ethical dilemmas, emotionally demanding consultations, and frequent exposure to client conflict as recurring occupational drivers (Pohl et al., 2022; Connolly et al., 2022). Recent research further suggests that combinations of high job demands may substantially increase the likelihood of depressive symptoms among veterinarians working in clinical practice (Christiansen & Clausen, 2024).

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Work-life balance has emerged as another important research theme. National surveys conducted through the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study found that healthier work-life integration was consistently associated with lower burnout and improved well-being among veterinary professionals. These findings reinforce the view that veterinary job satisfaction depends not only on the nature of clinical work itself but also on workplace culture, scheduling practices, organizational support, and opportunities for recovery outside work (Volk et al., 2024; Volk et al., 2022).

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Research increasingly recognizes that workplace well-being extends beyond veterinarians. Veterinary nurses, technicians, reception staff, assistants, and other support personnel experience many of the same occupational demands while also contributing substantially to patient care and client communication. Recent United States data indicate that non-veterinarian practice team members reported serious psychological distress at approximately twice the prevalence observed among veterinarians, highlighting an important gap between the size of the workforce and the amount of research devoted to these professionals (Volk et al., 2024). Likewise, scoping reviews conclude that considerably more research is needed to understand the mental health experiences of veterinary nurses and nursing students across different practice settings (King et al., 2024).

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Another emerging concept is how organizational culture influences professional well-being in veterinary practice. Rather than focusing exclusively on individual resilience, many contemporary studies emphasize how communication, leadership, psychological safety, staffing, teamwork, recognition, and workplace relationships shape mental health outcomes. This organizational perspective reflects a broader shift within occupational health research, recognizing that sustainable improvements in workplace well-being often require attention to systemic factors alongside individual experiences (Hilton et al., 2022; Brannick et al., 2015).

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Current research also explores the relationships among burnout, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms, moral distress, and suicidal ideation. Rather than occurring independently, these outcomes often overlap, reflecting complex interactions among occupational demands, emotional labor, workplace environments, and individual psychological responses (Kramper et al., 2023; Schwerdtfeger et al., 2024). This growing body of evidence has shifted the conversation from viewing burnout as an isolated occupational syndrome toward understanding it as one component of a broader framework of veterinary occupational health.

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Although awareness of burnout has increased considerably, evidence evaluating long-term interventions remains comparatively limited. Reviews consistently conclude that prevalence studies far outnumber intervention trials, leaving important questions about which organizational approaches produce sustained improvements in veterinary workplace well-being over time (Stetina & Krouzecky, 2022; Takefuji, 2025). Consequently, workplace well-being remains a top priority in veterinary occupational health research.

 

For an in-depth review of organizational drivers, systemic factors, and workforce sustainability, proceed to Burnout & Workplace Well-Being in Veterinary Teams.

 

Current Research Themes

 

Research on mental health in veterinary professionals has expanded rapidly during the past two decades, evolving from documenting the prevalence of psychological distress to examining the occupational, organizational, and social factors that influence professional well-being. Although important questions remain, several consistent themes have emerged across international studies.

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Understanding the Occupational Drivers of Mental Health

 

The strongest evidence shows that workplace conditions play a central role in veterinary mental health. Rather than attributing psychological distress solely to personal resilience or coping ability, contemporary research increasingly emphasizes occupational factors such as workload, long working hours, staffing shortages, administrative responsibilities, work-life imbalance, emotionally demanding cases, financial discussions with clients, and ethical decision-making (Pohl et al., 2022; Hilton et al., 2022).

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Studies also suggest that these stressors rarely occur independently. Instead, combinations of workplace demands may produce cumulative effects that contribute to burnout, psychological distress, and reduced professional well-being (Christiansen & Clausen, 2024).

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Expanding Beyond Veterinarians

 

Much of the early literature focused exclusively on veterinarians. More recent research has broadened its scope to include veterinary nurses, technicians, students, interns, residents, practice managers, and other support staff.

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This expansion reflects growing recognition that veterinary team mental health influences the functioning of the entire healthcare team. Recent national surveys indicate that non-veterinarian team members may experience substantial psychological distress, yet comparatively few studies have focused specifically on these professionals (Volk et al., 2024; King et al., 2024).

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Understanding the experiences of all veterinary personnel remains an important research priority for improving veterinary workforce sustainability.

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Organizational Well-Being and Workplace Culture

 

Another major shift involves increasing attention to organizational factors rather than individual characteristics alone.

Researchers increasingly examine topics such as:

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• workplace culture

• leadership

• communication

• psychological safety

• staffing models

• teamwork

• organizational support

• professional recognition

• work-life integration

 

This systems-based perspective recognizes that veterinary workplace well-being develops within the broader organizational environment. Consequently, many researchers now advocate studying both individual experiences and workplace systems when evaluating occupational mental health (Brannick et al., 2015; Hilton et al., 2022).

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Professional Quality of Life

 

Current literature increasingly examines both positive and negative aspects of veterinary work.

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Rather than focusing exclusively on burnout or psychological distress, researchers frequently study:

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• compassion satisfaction

• resilience

• meaningful work

• job satisfaction

• professional quality of life

• occupational engagement

 

This broader perspective acknowledges that veterinary medicine remains a highly meaningful profession for many individuals despite significant occupational challenges. Positive professional experiences may coexist with emotional demands, making professional well-being a multidimensional construct rather than a simple absence of distress (Wallace, 2019; Ouedraogo et al., 2021).

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Suicide Prevention and Longitudinal Research

 

Suicide risk remains one of the most important areas of veterinary mental health research. Reviews consistently report elevated suicidal ideation and suicide risk among veterinarians compared with many other occupational groups, although the pathways leading to these outcomes remain incompletely understood (Platt et al., 2012; Silva et al., 2023).

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Recent studies increasingly investigate how occupational stress, psychological distress, burnout, compassion fatigue, workplace culture, and protective factors interact over time rather than considering each factor independently (Gresele et al., 2026; Romão et al., 2026).

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Evidence Gaps

 

Although evidence documenting psychological burden is now substantial, important knowledge gaps remain.

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Current reviews consistently identify several priorities for future research:

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• More longitudinal studies following veterinary professionals throughout their careers.

• Greater inclusion of veterinary nurses, technicians, assistants, and other support staff.

• More intervention studies evaluating workplace programs and organizational strategies.

• Better understanding of how mental health influences patient care, communication, and team performance.

• Improved international comparisons using standardized assessment methods.

• Greater attention to protective factors that support long-term veterinary professional well-being.

 

Overall, the evidence base demonstrates that mental health challenges in veterinary medicine represent a well-established occupational health issue. However, researchers continue working to determine which organizational, educational, and workplace approaches most effectively promote long-term psychological well-being across diverse veterinary settings.

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Frequently Asked Questions

 

What does mental health in veterinary professionals include?

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Mental health in veterinary professionals encompasses the psychological, emotional, and occupational well-being across the entire veterinary team. Research in this area evaluates veterinarians, veterinary nurses, technicians, students, support staff, and administrative personnel, focusing on key themes such as burnout, compassion fatigue, anxiety, depression, resilience, professional quality of life, occupational stress, and workplace well-being. 

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Why is veterinary medicine associated with mental health challenges?

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Veterinary mental health challenges stem from a combination of systemic workplace demands and emotional labor rather than a single individual cause. Key occupational drivers identified in the literature include heavy workloads, emotionally intense clinical care, client conflicts and financial constraints, ethical dilemmas, chronic staffing shortages, extended working hours, and difficulty achieving work-life integration (Pohl et al., 2022; Volk et al., 2024).

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Is compassion fatigue the same as burnout?

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No. While they frequently co-occur, compassion fatigue and burnout represent distinct psychological constructs.

• Compassion fatigue originates from the emotional toll of empathic caregiving and exposure to animal and client suffering.

• Burnout arises from chronic workplace and organizational stressors and presents as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced professional efficacy (Foote, 2023; Steffey et al., 2023).

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Does mental health research only focus on veterinarians?

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No. Modern occupational health research increasingly evaluates the full spectrum of the veterinary workforce. While early literature focused heavily on veterinarians, current studies actively examine veterinary nurses, technicians, support staff, veterinary students, house officers, laboratory personnel, and shelter staff—groups that emerging evidence shows often experience equivalent or higher levels of psychological distress (Volk et al., 2024; King et al., 2024). 

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What are the biggest evidence gaps in veterinary mental health research?

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The main evidence gap is evaluating sustainable, long-term interventions and organizational strategies. While existing literature thoroughly documents prevalence rates and occupational risk factors, a critical shortage of longitudinal studies tests workplace interventions, evaluates support staff outcomes, and assesses how occupational mental health directly affects clinical care quality and workforce retention (Stetina & Krouzecky, 2022; Silva et al., 2023).

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Explore Related Topics

 

Continue exploring the Mental Health & Human–Animal Interaction Veterinary Knowledge System:

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• Mental Health & Human–Animal Interaction Overview

• Compassion Fatigue

• Burnout & Workplace Well-Being

 

Understanding these interconnected topics provides a broader perspective on occupational psychological health within veterinary medicine and highlights the ongoing research aimed at improving professional well-being, workforce sustainability, and the quality of veterinary care.