Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

We cannot afford to lose more doctors to drug addiction

Mark Leeds, DO
Physician
March 1, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

It is a miracle that more doctors have not succumbed to substance use disorder at some point in their training or career. It is a fact that many have. The number of doctors and other healthcare providers who have struggled with substance-related issues is probably far greater than we can imagine. This is because of a culture of secrecy and implied threats. Doctors who need help think there is nowhere to turn.

We are human beings with a “yes” problem. Maybe, it develops during training. Or, possibly, medical schools select for it. Saying yes too often and too easily can have serious health consequences. Doctors tend to take on a huge burden of responsibilities. It can be too much for any one person to handle.

Stress builds to a breaking point. There is no end to the overload of work and responsibility. Many doctors believe they are superhuman in their ability to take on responsibility and handle stress. They are not.

Then, there is the stress that builds from taking on the emotional pain of helping patients. Any human being put in the position of sitting with another human being who is suffering will take on some of that suffering. It is hard to decompress and let go.

Doctors are afraid to get help for themselves. They fear showing weakness. They fear risking their license, job or disability insurance. The pressure to keep producing continues. Mortgages, loan payments, bills, raising a family, the high cost of maintaining a medical license. It can feel like there is no escape.

Many doctors turn to alcohol or drugs. If you have used drugs to help relieve the pressure of life and work, you may feel like a failure, but it is far better than the alternative. There is also a suicide epidemic in the medical community. Doctors are jumping from buildings and bridges. They die by their own hand because they see no other way out.

The problem is that drug use also eventually leads to death. It has been called suicide on an installment plan. The time to ask for help is now. Please, get help before it is too late.

Opioids are often the drug of choice. They kill pain. This is what they do best. It turns out that opioids work just as well for emotional pain as physical pain. Yet, opioid use comes at a price. That price is often death.

Fortunately, there is help. We, as doctors, can help each other. Many of us have chosen to become certified and experienced in providing medication-assisted treatment (MAT). This is generally known as suboxone treatment. The success rate of MAT is high. Much higher than traditional abstinence-based treatment programs. Doctors who practice MAT should feel comfortable seeing their colleagues as patients.

We have a shortage of doctors in this country, and we cannot afford to lose more to drug addiction. It is time for us to help each other. I urge those of us who treat addiction to make it clear that we are here to help our peers. We can listen, talk, advise and provide medical care. Together, we can help these talented doctors to get their lives back and find joy again in helping their patients to heal.

Mark Leeds is a family physician and can be reached at his self-titled site, DrLeeds.com.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

How psychiatrists became lesser physicians

February 28, 2018 Kevin 2
…
Next

A code, a trauma, and our fragile humanity

March 1, 2018 Kevin 1
…

ADVERTISEMENT

Tagged as: Pain Management, Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How psychiatrists became lesser physicians
Next Post >
A code, a trauma, and our fragile humanity

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Mark Leeds, DO

  • Making America great again with harm reduction

    Mark Leeds, DO
  • What can a famous actress teach us about curing addiction?

    Mark Leeds, DO
  • The doctor trap: What it is and how to escape it

    Mark Leeds, DO

Related Posts

  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • What’s the best way to treat doctors and nurses with drug addiction?

    Emma Yasinski
  • The opioid crisis: Doctors cannot lose hope

    Linda Girgis, MD
  • Drug ads are a campaign against physician trust

    Judy Salz, MD
  • Why do doctors who hate being doctors still practice?

    Kristin Puhl, MD
  • Doctors: It’s time to unionize

    Thomas D. Guastavino, MD

More in Physician

  • Why the heart of medicine is more than science

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • How Ukrainian doctors kept diabetes care alive during the war

    Dr. Daryna Bahriy
  • How women physicians can go from burnout to thriving

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • Why more doctors are choosing direct care over traditional health care

    Grace Torres-Hodges, DPM, MBA
  • How to handle chronically late patients in your medical practice

    Neil Baum, MD
  • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

    Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the heart of medicine is more than science

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How Ukrainian doctors kept diabetes care alive during the war

      Dr. Daryna Bahriy | Physician
    • Why Grok 4 could be the next leap for HIPAA-compliant clinical AI

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How women physicians can go from burnout to thriving

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What a childhood stroke taught me about the future of neurosurgery and the promise of vagus nerve stimulation

      William J. Bannon IV | Conditions
    • Beyond burnout: Understanding the triangle of exhaustion [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why the heart of medicine is more than science

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • How Ukrainian doctors kept diabetes care alive during the war

      Dr. Daryna Bahriy | Physician
    • Why Grok 4 could be the next leap for HIPAA-compliant clinical AI

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How women physicians can go from burnout to thriving

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What a childhood stroke taught me about the future of neurosurgery and the promise of vagus nerve stimulation

      William J. Bannon IV | Conditions
    • Beyond burnout: Understanding the triangle of exhaustion [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

We cannot afford to lose more doctors to drug addiction
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...