doctor heal thyself

Lately, I have been getting a bit of teasing about my competence in dealing with my own self-care. Of course the dialog goes a bit like this: "Shouldn't you take better care of yourself? After all,  you are a doctor."    I thought I might look into this  and when I did, I realized I wasn't the only one this is a problem for.  Here is an excerpt from the British Medical Journal (1994:309:557-558):

It has long been recognised that doctors, as an occupational group, experience excess mortality from some causes, particularly suicide and self injury, poisoning, and cirrhosis of the liver.1 Reviews of morbidity among doctors have suggested a relatively high occurrence of psychiatric and stress related disorders as well as drug and alcohol misuse.2,3

A study carried out under the auspices of the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust set out to explore perceptions of and attitudes to sick doctors as well as the provision of services for them in eight health service localities (p 561).4,5 The messages from the interviewees (senior and junior doctors, health service managers, industrial relations officers, and representatives of community health councils) were that doctors' health problems are poorly dealt with, interventions come too late, and appreciable attitudinal and organisational barriers exist to the uptake of services. Respondents' views on why help is not sought encompassed the stigmatising nature of illness for doctors (and consequent denial), misguided professional loyalty, attitudes formed during medical training, the perceived irrelevance of services (particularly occupational health services), and a tradition of self treatment and direct self referral to hospital consultants.

1. Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. Occupational mortality 1979-80, 1982-83. London: HMSO, 1986.
   
2. Pilowski L, O'Sullivan G. Mental illness in doctors. BMJ 1989;298:269-70.
   
3. BMA Board of Science and Education. The morbidity and mortality of the medical profession. London: BMA, 1993.
   
4. Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust. The provision of medical services to sick doctors: a conspiracy of friendliness? London: NPHT, 1994.

So....  I just want everyone to know that it isn't my fault that I have a hard time with routine medical care fore myself.  It is a profession thing.  And,  just so everyone knows, my blood pressure today was 110/60, sats 97%,  heart rate 100 (which is normal for me), and blood sugar of 110 (after a big breakfast). Why would I want to live to be a hundred anyway??  Why would I want to live past 50 for that matter?