The Effects of Becoming a Physician on Prescription Drug Use and Mental Health Treatment

D. Mark Anderson (dwight.anderson@montana.edu), Ron Diris (r.e.m.diris@law.leidenuniv.nl), Raymond Montizaan and Daniel I. Rees (daniel.rees@uc3m.es)
Additional contact information
D. Mark Anderson: Montana State University
Ron Diris: University of Leiden
Daniel I. Rees: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

No 14890, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: There is evidence that physicians disproportionately suffer from substance use disorder and mental health problems. It is not clear, however, whether these phenomena are causal. We use data on Dutch medical school applicants to examine the effects of becoming a physician on prescription drug use and the receipt of treatment from a mental health facility. Leveraging variation from lottery outcomes that determine admission into medical schools, we find that becoming a physician increases the use of antidepressants, opioids, anxiolytics, and sedatives, especially for female physicians. Among female applicants towards the bottom of the GPA distribution, becoming a physician increases the likelihood of receiving treatment from a mental health facility.

Keywords: prescription drug use; opioids; mental health treatment; physicians (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I1 I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 53 pages
Date: 2021-11
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published in: Journal of Health Economics, 2023, 91, 102774.

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Related works:
Journal Article: The effects of becoming a physician on prescription drug use and mental health treatment (2023)
Working Paper: The Effects of Becoming a Physician on Prescription Drug Use and Mental Health Treatment (2021)
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