Working Paper: NBER ID: w29536
Authors: D Mark Anderson; Ron Diris; Raymond Montizaan; Daniel I Rees
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: physicians; substance use disorder; mental health; prescription drug use
JEL Codes: I1; I12; I18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Winning the medical school admissions lottery (I19) | Increased likelihood of using prescription antidepressants (I12) |
| Winning the medical school admissions lottery (I19) | Increased likelihood of using opioids (I12) |
| Winning the medical school admissions lottery (I19) | Increased likelihood of using anxiolytics (I12) |
| Winning the medical school admissions lottery (I19) | Increased likelihood of using sedatives (I12) |
| Becoming a physician (I11) | Increased access to mental health services (I19) |
| Female applicants with lower GPA (I24) | Increased likelihood of receiving treatment from a mental health facility (I11) |
| Winning the medical school admissions lottery (I19) | Increased drug use (I12) |