Say Something: Addressing Physician Alcohol Use Disorder, Depression, and Suicide

TIMOTHY D. RILEY; JULIE A. RADICO; DAVID P. RÁBAGO

By taking these five steps, physicians can start changing a culture of medicine that prizes stoic perfectionism and stigmatizes asking for help.

TIMOTHY D. RILEY, MD, JULIE A. RADICO, PsyD, ABPP, AND DAVID P. RÁBAGO, MD

Fam Pract Manag. 2024;31(4):22-26

This content conforms to AAFP criteria for CME.

Author disclosures: no relevant financial relationships.

Rates of alcohol use disorder, depression, and suicidal ideation are all greater among physicians and medical trainees than the general population,^1–12 despite education levels and financial resources that insulate physicians from some risk factors such as poverty and lack of access to mental health care. Many of these problems are driven by a medical culture that prizes stoic perfectionism and stigmatizes asking for help.

This article seeks to quantify the problem of physician substance use disorder, depression, and suicide, and then provide steps we can all take to reduce the incidence of these conditions for ourselves and our colleagues.

KEY POINTS

Physicians and medical trainees have higher rates of alcohol use disorder, depression, and suicidal ideation than the general population.
The perfectionist culture of medicine, as well as fears about losing licenses or credentials, may prevent physicians from seeking mental health care.
By speaking up about their own struggles and looking after colleagues, physicians can start to change the culture and increase use of the many mental health care resources available to them.

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