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

ADVERTISEMENT

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 wanting more from your medical career is a sign of strength

    Maureen Gibbons, MD
  • How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery

    Dr. Damane Zehra
  • How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • A day in the life of a WHO public health professional in Meghalaya, India

    Dr. Poulami Mazumder
  • Why women doctors are still mistaken for nurses

    Emma Fenske, DO
  • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

    Nicole M. King, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • First impressions happen online—not in your exam room

      Sara Meyer | Social media
    • How Gen Z is transforming mental health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care

      Katharina Schwan, MPH | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
  • Recent Posts

    • How Gen Z is transforming mental health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Nurses aren’t eating their young — we’re starving the profession

      Adam J. Wickett, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • Why wanting more from your medical career is a sign of strength

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • U.S. health care leadership must prepare for policy-driven change

      Lee Scheinbart, MD | Policy
    • Why the pre-med path is pushing future doctors to the brink

      Jordan Williamson, MEd | Education
    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [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

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • First impressions happen online—not in your exam room

      Sara Meyer | Social media
    • How Gen Z is transforming mental health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care

      Katharina Schwan, MPH | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
  • Recent Posts

    • How Gen Z is transforming mental health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Nurses aren’t eating their young — we’re starving the profession

      Adam J. Wickett, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • Why wanting more from your medical career is a sign of strength

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • U.S. health care leadership must prepare for policy-driven change

      Lee Scheinbart, MD | Policy
    • Why the pre-med path is pushing future doctors to the brink

      Jordan Williamson, MEd | Education
    • Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [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...