Drug and alcohol abuse by doctors.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether doctors who abuse substances differ from controls in terms of their physical and psychological well-being, and their marital and occupational functioning.


METHODS
The 44 doctors concerned in all cases of substance abuse which came before the Medical Board of Victoria between 1984 and 1990 were invited to complete a demographic questionnaire, psychological tests and a semi-structured interview. A control group of 42 doctors, obtained from the Medical Register, was also invited, and the groups were compared.


METHODS
The study was carried out at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, under the auspices of the Medical Board of Victoria.


RESULTS
Questionnaires were returned by 70% of the drug-dependent doctors and 83% of the controls. However, interviews were given by only 20% of the drug-dependent doctors. The groups differed significantly in terms of marital status (P < 0.002), overall health (P < 0.003), general wellbeing (P < 0.0009), and having experienced physical illness (P < 0.02) and psychiatric illness (P < 0.006) since graduation. No differences were found on the standardised questionnaires; this may reflect successful treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Substance abuse in medical practitioners is a major problem and is associated with considerable morbidity. Prevention and early intervention are crucial.
Serry
N
N
Department of Psychiatry, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, Vic.
Bloch
S
S
Ball
R
R
Anderson
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010815:Physician Impairment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology