Am J Psychiatry 1986; 143:1126-1131
Copyright © 1986 by American Psychiatric Association
Psychiatrist-patient sexual contact: results of a national survey. I: Prevalence
N Gartrell, J Herman, S Olarte, M Feldstein and R Localio
In a nationwide survey of U.S. psychiatrists, 7.1% (N = 1,057) of the male
and 3.1% (N = 257) of the female respondents acknowledged sexual contact
with their own patients. Eighty-eight percent of the sexual contacts
occurred between male psychiatrists and female patients. All offenders who
had been involved with more than one patient were male. Forty-one percent
of the offending psychiatrists sought consultation because of their sexual
involvement with patients. The authors compare these results with those of
previous surveys of psychiatrists and psychologists and discuss the need
for addressing this problem within the psychiatric profession.
