Intervention

Detection of a problem with drug or alcohol abuse in physicians can be difficult for many reasons, including intentional and skilled concealment or masking of the problem by secondary issues. Common signs of drug or alcohol abuse include changes in behavior, irritability, anger, missed appointments, irresponsibility, and lapses in memory or judgment. Unfortunately doctors normally maintain high stress lifestyles with chronic fatigue, so these signs and symptoms are present in a majority of practicing physicians.

When discovering a physician has a problem with drugs or alcohol, determining the proper next response can be very difficult. When confronted, an individual may react with hostility, reluctance, denial, or any other of a spectrum of responses. Based on the combined experience of our staff, counselors, and doctors at Treatment4Physicians, we believe the optimal response when discovering a friend, family member, or colleague has a problem is to seek professional help immediately. Our first-line program is interventional; we arrange and help with the intervention, treatment options, career maintenance, and any required reporting. Our goal is to get the physician into a formal treatment program as quickly as possible to prevent further damage to career, life, and family.

Discretion and career are immediate concerns of any physician seeking help for substance abuse, and anyone conducting an intervention for such a person should be ready to address concerns regarding career and license. At Treatment4Physicians, we are familiar with reporting legal and ethical regulations regarding reporting, monitoring, and other forms of Medical Board compliance.

If you are a physician and you suspect a colleague has problem with drugs or alcohol, we encourage you to contact our facilities today for more information on how you as a professional should help. Members of the health care community have an ethical obligation to take action when discovering that a colleague has a substance abuse problem. This obligation is both to the family, friends, and individual and to the community at large. We understand the professional reluctance to report, and we are also very familiar with the medical advocacy systems in-place that are designed to protect the physician, colleagues, and society.