How Doctors with Addiction Heal and Return to Practice

August 15, 2022

(Medscape) – “Why am I not asking for help?” This is the question Mary Taylor, MD, a pediatric cardiologist and pediatric critical care physician, asked herself after realizing she had alcohol use disorder (AUD). “If I had a medical condition, I would ask for help. If I had cancer, I’d go get treatment.” On a national scale, Taylor is hardly alone. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), 21.2 million Americans have substance use disorder (SUD), and only 11% of that population seeks treatment. Although there are few current data to indicate how many physicians are included in that number, research suggests that the rate of physician impairment mirrors that of the general population, meaning that an estimated 10% of physicians have SUD. Most cases go untreated. (Read More)