Introduction: Experts estimate that unrecorded alcohol makes up a significant share (about 25%) of all alcohol consumed in the former Soviet Republic Belarus. However, our knowledge with respect to the prevalence of the consumption of unrecorded alcohol in this country, as well as the patterns and motives of it consumption remains fragmented.
Prior to 1990 there was a paucity of studies directed at psychiatric genetics and in fact there was only one study by Egeland et al. [1]. whereby an analysis of the segregation of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) in an Old Order Amish population (pedigree) localized a dominant gene linked to a strong predisposition to manic depressive disease to chromosome 11 possibly tyrosine hydroxylase. This finding was retracted in 1989 by Kelsoe et al. [2].
The problem of addiction and substance abuse among physicians has been reported as early as 1869 [1]. But, medical community is generally reluctant to accept and report the problem of addiction among health care professionals. Anaesthesiologist by virtue of their work profile and easy accessibility of potentially addicting drugs are at an increased risk of drug addiction. The incidence of abuse is estimated to be around 1% in faculty members and 1.6% of residents in training programs [2]. As high as 1/4th of the medical professionals reported for abuse are anaesthesiologists.
Cigarette smoking is a worldwide healthcare problem of modern age. It is a leading cause of death, mainly in male population. Excess deaths among smokers, as compared to non smokers, are chiefly due to tuberculosis and respiratory, cardiovascular or malignant diseases. Smoking significantly increases intraoperative and postoperative complications in a person undergoing surgical procedure. Smoking is menace to people and physicians and cessation of smoking is very much desirable, especially in persons undergoing operative intervention.
Suicide is one of the leading external causes of death in many countries and it burden is expected to be rising [1]. There are a number of possible reasons responsible for this including lessened social integration, increase in psychiatric disorders, alcohol and drug abuse [2,3]. Alcohol consumption and suicides rates in Eastern Europe (EE) are among the highest in the world [4]. In a number of studies using various designs alcohol consumption has been found to be important risk factors of suicide in EE [5-7]. The empirical literature provides evidence of an association between alcohol and suicide at the individual level in many EE nations [8]. Most of the evidence linking excessive drinking and suicide in EE is based on population data. Both longitudinal and cross-sectional aggregate-level studies usually report a significant and positive association between alcohol consumption and suicide [5,6,9].
