For quite some time after getting the PhD I did not use the Dr title much...I used it in academic circumstances such as job applications...that was about it. Then someone pointed out the very useful neutral nature of the title--it gets rid of that hideous ( IMO) Mrs/Ms/Miss title stuff you have to fill out on forms for banks, etc. Men are lucky in having the single choice of Mister. This designation of marital status, for women only, on forms drives me insane. Many places in the UK do not have the Ms. option, so then you have to choose between Miss and Mrs....and I dither. Being divorced and having never changed my name to my (ex) husband's when married, am I a Mrs? a Miss? Dr. solves it all rather nicely. ;-)

Now when someone is filling out a form and asks me, I gave a sweet smile and say as modestly as I can, "Actually, its Dr".

If and/or when I qualify I intend to change all my personal documents to doctor. Rightly or wrongly, being a Dr can often get you perks such as upgrades, as well as occasionally getting you better service. If someone put me down on something as a Mr though (e.g. I book a table under the name addabs and they reply back "so that's a table at 7 under Mr addabs"), I wouldn't correct them, and I rarely introduce myself as "Mr screamingaddabs" so I doubt I'd often introduce myself as "Dr Screamingaddabs".

So basically, no difference in conversation and speech etc, but I would change it when written down by me.

If you've earned it, use it.

Or if you're "Dr" Gillian McKeith...

If you've paid for it, use it.

Our post would be so stuffed: I don't like the idea of getting letters addressed to

Mr & Dr......

Just sounds clumsy and plain wrong.

When you've passed your viva is a good time to use it! And for filling in pesky application forms for an academic job Dr helps me thinks!

But not to be confused with a "real" Dr!!!! ;-)

You don't use titles on passports, so how can you use Dr on your passport? and why would you want to? people just assume you mean medical Dr, and then you have to say.. oh no, sorry, PhD Dr..which takes something away from the whole thing..and makes it seem like a 'pretend' title .. a lot of folk don't get what PhD is ...

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Just another thought on this. Those that have chosen to use their Dr. title, have you also made this change with your GP. That is one situation where I do imagine it to be embarrasing.

I've obviously left this situation be. People are called out as Mr., Mrs., Miss, etc. on an electronic display, so being called out as Dr. would be taking the... :-)

Again, my thoughts are use on in professional situations only or (as stated earlier) extra identity with large financial transactions.

Though I did have an awkward doctor thing a couple of months ago. My Mum had been admitted - nearly dying - to a coronary care ward many hours away from us. I think she'd told everyone there (once conscious) that her daughter was a doctor, as was her son-in-law. So when I had to speak on the phone to a member of staff about Mum's case the nurse assumed I was a medical doctor, and gave me far more detailed information, using all the medical abbrevations and terminology, than she normally would have done. Part-way through the conversation I explained I wasn't a medical doctor, but an academic doctor. But it wasn't so bad. I got to know more about Mum's case, and it was actually quite helpful.

I'm with Olivia on this one. I've been divorced for 30 odd years, but carry my ex-husband's surname, as this is my professional name. I have a horror of titles in general and refer to myself in my professional name without any title. But Dr is useful in sidestepping the 'Mrs or Miss?' question which, like Olivia, I hate. The other place it's really useful is in answering the phone to cold callers. They ask if they could speak to Mr or Mrs X. I say that there's no one of either name who lives here. My cold call numbers have dropped very significantly!

Good one 8-)