By Matthew Goldenberg, D.O., Board Certified Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry Associate Medical Director, Promises Professionals Treatment Program It is estimated that 10% to 14% of the U.S. population is addicted to drugs or alcohol. Many of those affected, including nearly 20% of all alcoholics, do not fit the stereotypical image of an addict — they …
High-Functioning Addicts: Who They Are and Who Is at Risk Read More »
Many physicians face heavier workloads and more stress than the average employee. Medical professionals have to juggle their personal lives with demanding schedules. At the same time, they are addressing various patient health challenges. All of this can take a toll on a physician’s mental and behavioral health. To cope with the stressful nature of …
Can Physician Health Programs (PHP) Help Doctors in Crisis? Read More »
By Matthew Goldenberg, D.O. Board Certified Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry Associate Medical Director, Promises Professionals Treatment Program Why Physician Burnout? For most physicians working in clinical practice today, the hours are long and pressure and demands are high. Doctors must constantly balance maintaining strong connections to patients, their colleagues and the modern pace of the …
Physician Burnout: Tips for Achieving Better Work-Life Balance Read More »
By Greg Skipper, MD A friend of mine went to play golf in Scotland, and while there he went to a pub to get a sandwich. The pub owner asked why he was in Scotland. My friend responded, “To play golf.” The owner retorted, “Laddie, you are in the right place.” The bartender then offered …
Bottle to Throttle: What Happens to Drunk Airline Pilots? Read More »
Kristin Waite-Labott, a recovering drug-addicted nurse, vividly remembers the first time she took the opioid painkiller fentanyl. “There’s getting high and there’s getting lost, and I just feel like I got lost once I took that.” She was a talented and respected ER nurse at the time, as well as a loving mother, a trusted …
A Drug-Addicted Nurse’s Story of Recovery: A Tale of Hope Read More »
For Cathy Johnson-Delaney, the drug of choice was sevoflurane. Twice in June 2013, employees at her Kirkland, Washington, animal clinic witnessed Johnson-Delaney, a veterinarian of more than 30 years, inhaling the sweet-smelling anesthetic through a mask in the operating room.
Results from the first mental health survey of U.S. veterinarians show that the people who care for our beloved pets contemplate taking their own lives at three times the national average.
The nurse is the glue that holds most medical operations together. So you may be surprised to hear that an estimated 10 to 15 percent are abusing substances while on the job. And nurses aren’t the only ones. Drug and/or alcohol abuse can affect many healthcare workers over the course of their career. In this …
Do You Suspect a Nurse Has a Substance Abuse Problem? Read More »
What happens when those who care for others have a difficult time caring for themselves? Research shows that a disturbing number of doctors struggle with substance abuse. Where 8% to 10% of the general population abuses drugs or alcohol, some estimates have the range for physicians at 10% to 15%. While these numbers are frightening …
When you come across the term ‘drug abuser,’ chances are that you immediately think of people who use drugs as a matter of circumstance. As recently as 2008, epidemiological studies have shown that the rate of drug abuse is higher among certain groups, which includes people with lower socioeconomic status. Other risk factors in the …
A Functional Abuser: Why Successful People Abuse Drugs Read More »