Pubdate: Fri, 09 Sep 2005 Source: Bangor Daily News (ME) Copyright: 2005 Bangor Daily News Inc. Contact: http://www.bangornews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/40 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) SEMINAR EXPLORES DOCTORS' DRUG USE BAR HARBOR - For just about everyone struggling to overcome an addiction to alcohol, narcotics or other drugs, long sections of the road back to normal life are quagmires of shame, guilt and deep depression. But for doctors and other professionals, these personal battles are often compounded by other, external threats - including losing the esteem of their colleagues, the confidence of their clients or patients, and potentially, their license to practice in a field they've committed their lives to. In rural states like Maine, health care professionals are in especially short supply. And the same factors that can delay a physician's entry into treatment can act as powerful motivators to recovery, returning addicted doctors and other professionals to productive life more reliably than in the general population. At a daylong conference in Bar Harbor on Thursday, physicians, dentists and other health care practitioners, as well as attorneys and other legal professionals, gathered to learn more about their increased occupational risk of developing a substance abuse problem, practical and emotional obstacles to seeking treatment, and the reporting requirements of the law. Offered as a joint presentation of the Maine Medical Association's Physician Health Program and the Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges, the conference drew about 60 professionals from across the state to the Harborside Hotel in Bar Harbor. PHP extends its services to physician assistants, dentists and dental hygienists as well as to medical doctors and doctors of osteopathy. MAP provides services to paralegal practitioners and legal secretaries as well as to lawyers and judges. In his opening presentation, Dr. Michael Gendel, president of the national Federation of State Physician Health Plans, said chronic substance abuse, addiction and mental illnesses such as depression or other conditions are especially insidious diseases to treat - and physicians and other professionals are especially prideful and resistant to acknowledging their need for help in combating these disorders. Professionals need to be in control, they intellectualize their emotions, they have a strong aversion to asking for help and they always think they know best, he said. And because doctors and attorneys have a strong motivation to protect their hard-earned professional status and their livelihoods, the workplace is often the last place a substance abuse problem will surface, Gendel said. Community involvement, spiritual connections, recreational interests, personal friendships and family relationships usually bear the brunt of the disease, he said. "By the time you notice your colleague's in trouble at the office, he's probably just about dead," Gendel told participants. The good news, he said, is that once committed to their recovery, professionals on the whole fare better than the general public, bolstered by their high levels of education, their general financial stability, their concern for their families' well-being and their desire to resume life as highly-valued members of society. Maine PHP offers its clients a variety of services, including contracting on their behalf with the state's Board of Licensure in Medicine. By ensuring that physicians get appropriate treatment and intensive follow-up - - which can include job-site monitoring, random urine testing and verified regular attendance at 12-step recovery programs such as private Alcoholics Anonymous meetings just for physicians - program director Dr. David Simmons said PHP helps keep valuable, competent doctors practicing in Maine and minimizes the disciplinary role of the licensing board. Over the program's 18 years in existence, he said, about 400 physicians and other health care providers have been supported in their treatment and returned to practice. Half have voluntarily sought out the program, and half have been referred by the licensing board. For physicians who seek PHP services before any formal complaints are filed against them by patients or concerned colleagues, no information is made available to the public, he noted - another motivator for seeking help early on. Physicians who are referred to PHP by the licensing board as the result of a complaint or an investigation do have a public record. Physicians who fail to progress in the voluntary program may be reported to the licensing board to face other disciplinary actions, including loss of licensure. David Kee, director of the assistance program for judges and lawyers, said MAP doesn't exchange information or sign treatment contracts with the Maine Board of Licensure for the Bar. That takes some of the external motivation to succeed out of the program, he said, but also eliminates one reason why legal professionals might put off seeking help for substance abuse or other problems that may affect their careers. "There's no downside to coming to us," he said. MAP has operated for about two years and provided service to about 180 legal professionals. More information on the Physician Health Program may be obtained by phoning 623-9266. Call the Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges toll-free at (800) 530-4627. - --- MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman