TRENDS IN ALCOHOLISM AMONG MALE DOCTORS IN SCOTLAND

Alcohol abuse within the medical profession has long been an issue of concern. Recently, the General Medical Council reported that half of t he doctors reported for health difficulties liable to affect professio nal competence were found to have an alcohol problem. This paper exami nes how rates of alcoholism among male doctors in Scotland have change d over the last three decades. Admission and discharge rates for docto rs to psychiatric inpatient beds with diagnoses of alcoholism are comp ared with non-medical professions, for the years 1963-87. The results, assessed in the light of changing Standardized Mortality Races for li ver cirrhosis for the medical profession, suggest that doctors as a gr oup remain at a higher risk of alcoholism compared to other profession als, but that this increased risk appears to be largely accounted for by a cohort of heavy-drinking doctors over the age of 45 years.