Joseph: Mental ill-health may have been my trigger…

Over 10 years ago, I was working as a pharmacist manager. Being young at that time, I had just bought my first house with my partner and we were looking forward to our future together.

Unexpectedly and suddenly, my partner suffered a severe and long-lasting medical episode. This took a drastic toll on my mental health and eventually led to addiction issues and a subsequent investigation by the former regulatory body.

Although I engaged with healthcare professionals and support services, my adherence to appointments deteriorated and I began neglecting my professional responsibilities. I felt unable to attend a fitness-to-practise hearing and was removed from the register for a number of issues relating to my practice.

I became depressed to the point where I neglected everything, including my own health and relationship with my family. I later lost my house and car due to financial troubles, and my only way to deal with the situation was intoxication and denial.

Eventually, with the support of my family, I received the treatment I needed. Pharmacist Support initially provided financial assistance for me to attend the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) Return to Practice Residential Course. They later supported me financially to attend the CPPE Return to Register Workshop and provided financial assistance towards my GPhC restoration application fee.

My advice to anyone who may benefit from contacting Pharmacist Support would be to do so at the earliest possible time. One of my regrets is not contacting them earlier as their expertise may have allowed me to address my mental health and addiction issues at an earlier date.

The name of the author has been changed, and the piece edited from the original for brevity.

Does pharmacy have a drug and alcohol addiction problem?

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