Are you a workaholic?

By Gail Garfinkel Weiss
Senior Editor

Most physicians work hard, but do you work compulsively? If so, here's what to do about it.

You know the type. You might even be the type—the doctor who routinely puts in 12-hour days, never takes vacations, can't bear to delegate, feels anxious and purposeless when not on the job, etc.

"Workaholism in physicians represents a continuation of our lifestyle since college," says psychiatrist Gerald P. Perman, a member of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia Physician Health Committee. "We have to work long hours to succeed in premed and med school. Then, during residency, we work as long as 36 hours at a stretch. It's no surprise that this nose-to-the-grindstone pattern continues."

But working more isn't synonymous with working better. In fact, the opposite is often true: "Most workaholics tend to create work for themselves that isn't needed or useful to begin with," says internist Lee Lipsenthal, founder of Heal Thyself Programs in San Anselmo, CA. That's not good for you or your patients. "Workaholics often don't connect well with patients because they're focusing on the next 12 things they want to do," says Lipsenthal. "In essence, workaholics are in a revved-up state of burnout. Instead of functioning efficiently, they're likely to be irritable and rushed. Therefore, their decision-making, diagnostic, and treatment-planning capacities are diminished."