Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/250551 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 14890
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
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.
Subjects: 
prescription drug use
opioids
mental health treatment
physicians
JEL: 
I1
I12
I18
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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