The Physician as Patient

How are physician-patients like other patients... and how are they different? In a comprehensive manner, well referenced and using plenty of case examples, Drs. Gabbard and Myers tackle this question head on. This text will become a valuable, if not essential, resource to every clinician who wishes to understand the needs of their physician-patient and the cultural context in which their problems arise. Michael Kaufmann, M.D., Director, Physician Health Program, Ontario Medical Association The Physician as Patient in 12 chapters is superb, complete, concise, and easy to read and to apply. All health professionals should keep it handy for ongoing self and other referral, and insights into psychiatrically ill physicians. Detailed diverse patient examples include recognition of sex, gender, age, cultural, racial, ethnic, spiritual and relational factors important for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Leah J. Dickstein, M.D.M.S., Professor Emerita, University of Louisville, Department of Psychiatry

This practical handbook combines the perspectives of two seasoned psychiatrists who have been assessing and treating physicians for more than 30 years and who here discuss not only common illnesses and problems seen in doctors but also the many biopsychosocial treatments that are indicated.

Because physicians are shaped by the expectations and responsibilities of their profession and are especially susceptible to stress and illness, professionals treating them need to be attuned to a host of demands and considerations not applicable to other patients. The Physician as Patient meets that need by combining the perspectives of two seasoned psychiatrists who have been assessing and treating physicians for more than 30 years. Drs. Myers and Gabbard pool their career-long dedication to physician health, counseling, and risk management to demonstrate that, through accurate diagnosis and state-of-the-art treatment, most impaired physicians can recover and return to practice.

As the most current sourcebook available on this subject, The Physician as Patient not only discusses common illnesses and problems seen in doctors but also outlines the many biopsychosocial treatments that are indicated—always with an emphasis on integrated care. It considers such issues as the reluctance of physicians to assume the role of patient and the uniqueness of the physician's psychological makeup that facilitates or impedes diagnosis and treatment. It describes the most common medical and psychiatric illnesses in physicians—including addictions—and addresses personality disorders and the increasingly important subject of boundary violations. And it helps readers determine what can be done about doctors behaving badly or out-of-character, or what strategies are useful in treating physicians to assure accuracy while also diminishing morbidity and relieving suffering. Among other key issues raised are:

• The importance of considering sociocultural customs and values when treating the increasing number of minority and International Medical Graduate physicians
• Addressing the many clinical, humanistic, ethical, and legal dimensions of the psychiatric evaluation of physicians
• Distinguishing between long-standing patterns of personality disorders that manifest as disruptive behaviors and those patterns that lead to burnout and depression
• Assessing amenability to rehabilitation in cases of sexual boundary violation, including an awareness of alcohol or drug abuse as contributing factors
• Utilizing a physician's predisposition as a learner and pragmatist to enter into cognitive behavior therapyread more...