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Signs and Symptoms of Addiction in Healthcare Professionals
Community
- Isolation and withdrawal from community: friends, peers, coworkers
- Unreliability and unpredictability in community and social activities
- Embarrassing behavior at club or parties
- DWI, other legal problems
Employment
- Numerous job changes
- Frequent unexplained geographic relocations
- Unexplained intervals between jobs
- Indefinite or inappropriate references
- Overqualified for job
- Reluctant to let family be involved
- Reluctant to do pre-employment physical exam
Family
- Withdrawal from family activities, unexplained absences from home
- Fights
- Inappropriate caretaking by spouse
- Psychological distress in family members
- Affairs/separation/divorce
Physical/Emotional
- Deterioration in personal hygiene
- Deterioration in clothing and dressing habits
- Multiple physical signs and complaints
- Numerous prescriptions and drugs
- Frequent visits to physicians and dentists
- Accidents
- Emotional crises
Office
- Hostile, withdrawn, unreasonable behavior to office staff and patients
- Complaints by patients about behavior
- Abuse of animals
- Over or under sedation of patients during surgery
- Absence from office – unexplained or due to frequent illness
- Coming in on days off
Obvious Signs
- Alcohol on breath
- Gait problems
- Slurred speech
- Track marks