The Impaired Physician Movement: An Interim Report

The impaired physician movement gained prominence in 1972 with the American Medical Association (AMA) council on mental health report entitled The Sick Physician. The movement grew as a necessary reaction to the conflicts inherent in the healing profession's attempt to heal its own members. The author traces the growth of the impaired physician movement, highlighting the contributions that the AMA, the American Psychiatric Association, and students of physician suicide have made to the laws and programs now in existence. Problems faced by the movement, areas requiring further efforts, such as restoration of the physician to practice, and the outlook for the future are also discussed.