Former Veterinarian Discusses Alcohol Use and Mental Health Challenges in the Profession

“I used alcohol as an emotional crutch.” Kirstie Pickles, who has abstained from alcohol for 13 years, revealed that the daily pressures of her veterinary career once led her to consume alcohol for “emotional support” and to alleviate suffering. She remarked, “It’s when you put your recycling out and you’re embarrassed about it that you realise that’s probably not normal.” A recent study conducted by Oxford Brookes University indicated that alcohol consumption served as a coping mechanism for numerous veterinarians, highlighting a deeply embedded drinking culture within the profession. The research suggested that alcohol use was “normalised from veterinary school through to professional life.” This normalization made it challenging for veterinarians to identify problematic drinking as an issue, given its “embedded in the profession’s social norms.” Kirstie, originally from Derbyshire, shared that she always aspired to be a vet. She stated, “At 10 or 11 I decided I wanted to work with animals, and that’s not uncommon… people decide from a very young age that that’s what they want to do, and become quite fixed on it.” She secured a spot on a highly competitive university program and gained practical experience at veterinary practices, an abattoir, and on farms. However, she described this as a “sanitised view.” She explained, “You might hear vets swear, or get stressed, but you’re never going to appreciate the full extent of what being a vet is, what being on call is like.” For individuals affected by the issues presented in this story, help and support are available through the BBC Action Line. When discussing the most stressful aspects of the job, she noted: “Attached to every animal is a person.” She continued, “The client may not be able to afford the procedure, so that can be extremely stressful.” She added, “There’s moral injury when you’re confronted with a sick animal that needs treatment and tests, and they cost money, and the client can’t afford it. Euthanasia may then have to be an option.” She recounted the ethical dilemmas she encountered in equine medicine, such as when a horse might require abdominal surgery costing thousands of pounds. She stated, “The only other option in that situation often is the horse has to be put to sleep.” She concluded, “So these are not easy situations to navigate.” She also described veterinary surgeries as feeling like a “pressure cooker” environment. “You can have difficulties with colleagues, because everyone’s working in a fast-paced stressful environment dealing with life and death situations. That can take its toll.” She remembered vet school as a “work hard, party hard environment” and later observed how people would drink heavily to “blow off steam” at conferences. Eventually, however, she found herself consuming large quantities of wine at the end of each workday. She confessed, “It became something I did to numb emotional pain.” Following a suicide attempt, Kirstie was admitted to an inpatient psychiatric facility and underwent surgery, an experience she found “absolutely terrifying.” She recalled, “I just thought I can’t carry on doing this, I’m going to be dead if I continue doing this, and at that point I made the choice to stop.” Dr. Jennifer Seddon, the senior lecturer in psychology who led the recent study, reported “high rates of burn out” within the veterinary profession. She noted that vets’ mental health is “much poorer in comparison with people in the general population,” but professionals are “fearful” of potential career implications and alcohol-related stigma. She emphasized the need for “more open and honest conversations” and a “more supportive workplace environment.” Kirstie discovered she was autistic in her 40s and has since developed “healthy coping strategies” to manage her anxieties. These strategies include exercise, and she describes running with her dog in the hills as her “happy place.” She now divides her time between serving as the equality, diversity, and inclusion lead at Harper & Keele Veterinary School and operating Unedited Minds, a training business focused on mental health and neurodiversity, primarily within the veterinary sector. She commented, “I became focused on using my experience to help other people and that’s rewarding for me.” In a statement, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons affirmed its encouragement for vets to seek treatment for poor mental health and addiction problems, clarifying that these are not in themselves grounds for disciplinary action. It added: “The public and their animals are much better served by veterinary professionals who are healthy and able to practise to the best of their abilities.” The College also stated it is providing funding to the Vetlife and Vet Support charities as part of its Mind Matters Initiative, a project that “aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of those in the veterinary team.” You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.