Doctors have described the trauma, stigma and fear that comes with a health impairment notification, as the RACGP steps up its push to have mandatory reporting scrapped.

One doctor has told researchers a notification resulted in “exponentially” worse mental health, while another was fearful of seeking treatment in case they were reported. 

“I was so scared that if I told my GP anything, I would get suspended,” the doctor says in research published in the Australian Journal of General Practice.

“I hid my drug use until it was too late and then everything unravelled anyway.”