High stress may be partially to blame for the alarming suicide rate among the country's veterinarians, a researcher in Southampton, England, said.

CNN reported on Friday that Dr. David Bartram, a student at the University of Southampton's School of Medicine, suggested in a recent article that veterinarians in England endure stress during their education and then move into working environments rife with a number of stressful elements.

Figures indicate as many as six of the country's 16,000 veterinarians are likely to commit suicide each year. The suicide rate among the profession appears to be four times the suicide rate of the general public, Bartram said.

According to reports of CNN, Bartram also suggests suicide may be seen as an acceptable option by some veterinarians because of their use of euthanasia to alleviate the suffering of their animal clients.

Despite the alarming suicide rate in his profession, there has been little research on the issue, Bartram, who himself is a veterinarian, said.

He further said in his article, "It does seem quite remarkable that there has been such a dearth of research in the field." (With Inputs from Agencies)