PREVENT impairment among health professionals

     "two common misconceptions need to be dispelled. First, impaired health professionals who seek treatment are most often referred by their therapist rather than disciplinary or regulatory agencies. Second, despite the frequent assumption that 'impaired professional' is a phrase referring to substance abuse problems, those professionals who seek treatment are more likely to have difficulties centered on interpersonal, relational, & emotional concerns than around substance abuse. This finding has important implications inasmuch as physician or other professional health programs, licensing boards, and hospital risk management programs should be geared to address a wide array of interpersonal and psychological problems rather than limiting themselves to a focus on chemical dependency. Moreover, by waiting until overt actions or external behaviors occur, these agencies may miss the opportunity to intervene earlier and more effectively on less 'noisy' problems that may create a good deal of personal and professional distress. 

     We hope that regulatory agencies take proactive steps to identify professionals with social and emotional vulnerabilities who may be at greater risk for unethical and negligent behavior, rather than intervening after ethical violations. Moreover, the surprisingly low rate of employer-risk management referrals is of particular concern because these groups are in a position to observe the professional on a daily basis. Employers and risk management groups can implement psychoeducational programs for health professionals, teaching them how to identify early signs of distress and impairment, as well as how to put into place referral systems for confidential treatment before the emergence of disruptive behavior. Finally, it is important to dispel the myth that 'impaired health professional' simply implies an individual who violates a boundary, suffers from substance abuse problems, or has problems with anger management. This myth encourages health professionals to believe that they are not in distress or impaired until they have acted in an inappropriate manner, rather than helping them identify early warning signs, the predisposing and precipitating factors that contribute to disruptive behavior." 

     Psychologists undergoing psychotherapy "most often cited benefits of therapy were increased self-awareness, self-understanding, self-esteem, and improved skill as a therapist." 

       Katsavdakis KA, Gabbard GO, Athey GI Jr. Profiles of impaired health professionals. Bull Menninger Clin 2004; 68(1): 60-72.

Henri Rousseau   The Sleeping Gypsy