GPs ‘relying on drink or drugs to cope with stress’

ONE in seven GPs has turned to alcohol or prescription drugs to help them deal with job stress, a survey has found.

Many admitted to ‘self-medicating’ with wine, sleeping pills, antidepressants or high blood pressure drugs.

Of the 835 GPs who took part in the survey, 12 per cent – or one in eight – said they used alcohol to relieve the stress. Another six per cent took prescription drugs, while a total of 15 per cent drank, used drugs or both.

One in ten said they had been off sick with stress during the last year, while a further 23 per cent expected to be soon.

The survey – carried out by Pulse magazine and the GMB union – comes as rising numbers of GPs retire or quit due to the hours, workload or lack of investment. Almost half of GPs who

‘I’m on long-term antidepressants’

responded – 45 per cent – said their stress levels had affected their ability to care for patients.

Dr Kate Dick, a GP in Exeter, said: ‘Sheer volume of work is making me less sympathetic at the end of the day ... I am not the best GP I could be at this time.’

Another GP said: ‘I drink a bottle of wine most evenings after work, and often take codeine to help me get to sleep. I am also on long-term antidepressants, as are a lot of my colleagues.’

Professor Clare Gerada, the former chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said the statistics were worrying. ‘With prescription drugs, even 6 per cent is a significant number,’ she said.

NHS England said it understood the pressure on GPs and had launched a service to help them deal with stress and mental health problems.