Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:1142-1146
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
The alcoholic physician: a survey
L Bissell and RW Jones
The authors conducted interviews with 98 recovered alcoholic physicians,
all of whom had been entirely abstinent for a minimum of one calendar year.
Psychiatry was the only specialty clearly overrepresented. A
disproportionate number of subjects reported high standing in their medical
school classes. Nearly half of the sample had experienced difficulty with
drugs other than alcohol. While legal sanctions and admission to health
care and correctional institutions were common among this group, relatively
little formal response of a disciplinary nature from colleagues or medical
organizations was reported.
