Doctors, dentists and pharmacists may be secret drug addicts who are afraid to seek treatment, the head of a new confidential health service has warned.
Some health professionals abuse prescribed drugs such as tranquillisers and painkillers, said Dr Íde Delargy, who has lengthy experience of treating GPs with health issues.
"Sometimes it starts with medicating for something minor and then escalates into dependency. The difference for health professionals is that they have access to these drugs through work," she said.
"Like the general public, one in four practitioners may have mental health difficulties at some point in their lives.
Source: Eilish O'Regan, Irish Independent, 03/09/15