Don't Ignore Colleagues' Psychiatric Disorders.

PHILADELPHIA -- Colleagues of physicians often ignore signs of psychiatric disorders among their peers if the behavior is not disruptive to their practice, Daniel P. Chapman, Ph.D., said in a poster presentation at the American Psychiatric Association's Institute on Psychiatric Services.

Appropriate diagnosis and treatment are needlessly delayed, suggesting the need for expanded educational outreach efforts to provide information about physicians with psychiatric disorders.

While substance abuse has long been recognized as a potential source of physician impairment, the prevalence and significance of specific psychiatric disorders among physicians have not been widely investigated, said Dr. Chapman, who is a psychiatric epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

He identified 11 studies in Medline published between 1989 and 1999 that were related to mental disorders and physician impairment. Major depression, bipolar illness, and narcissistic personality disorder were cited as diagnoses prompting entry into a state impaired physicians program, with the prevalence of psychiatric disorders ranging from 26% to 48% of admissions.

Dr. Chapman described a "slippery slope" toward impairment that results in license revocation and possibly death if treatment is not ...