Psych Watch

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Former psychiatric aide at the Montana Developmental Center charged with abusing a client

As seen in this report in Montana's Independent Record

A psychiatric aide at the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder is accused of abusing a disabled person, which is a felony, for allegedly pushing a developmentally disabled man “hard into the doorway/wall” where the man struck his head on a door, resulting in a “large laceration on his scalp.”

The wound caused the client to “bleed profusely,” and it took five staples to close the wound, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

Arrested was Sheldon Moffett, who began working at MDC this year. Moffett faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

According to the affidavit, Moffett attacked the man on Sept. 29. The incident that led to the charge was described in the affidavit filed Oct. 17.

According to witnesses, Moffett was trying to get some of the clients to go to bed, and the clients refused and were calling him a bully. Moffett told police that at one point he said to the clients "at least I get to go home to my wife," and the alleged victim responded, “I am going to kill your wife.”

Following that exchange, Moffett allegedly shoved the client into the door, causing the injury.

Moffett told investigators that he had “been very frustrated that day” and later said there was “no excuse for what I have done,'' documents show.

Moffett was immediately placed on administrative leave and is no longer employed at MDC, according to Jon Ebelt, public information officer with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Court Records regarding the case online here

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Va. Beach psychiatrist's license to be suspended

As seen in this report (more info at this link)

The medical license of a psychiatrist who played a leading role in the treatment of a Virginia Beach man who committed suicide in 2011 will be suspended by the Virginia Board of Medicine on Saturday.

Virginia Beach psychiatrist Dr. Waldo Ellison informed the board he was retiring on that day. He appeared in an informal hearing in September on allegations that he violated his duty as a doctor by failing to properly diagnose attention deficit disorders and monitor patients' use of Adderall, a stimulant that can become addictive if misused.

The doctor's case before the board involved several patients, but the one that received the most media attention, including a 2013 New York Times story, is that of Richard Fee, a 24-year-old Virginia Beach man who committed suicide in Norfolk in 2011.

An informal committee of the board had passed Ellison's case on to the full board to be considered for suspension or revocation. Instead, Ellison agreed to a consent order that was signed on Oct. 20 to end his practice on Saturday. He has begun informing his patients he is retiring.

The board of medicine considers his license suspended indefinitely on that date. If he wants to return to practice, he would have to wait at least 18 months and appear before the board to prove his competence to practice medicine.

Another Virginia Beach psychiatrist involved in Fee's treatment, Dr. Charles Parker, also went before a three-member panel of the board in September. The board issued Parker a reprimand and ordered him to take courses on medical record-keeping and proper prescription practices.
Rick and Kathy Fee, Richard Fee's parents, live in Virginia Beach and are trying to bring more attention to misdiagnosis of attention deficit disorders and overprescription of drugs such as Adderall.

They have filed a $2 million malpractice lawsuit against Ellison and Parker; trial is scheduled for July.

US Medical Licensing Boards

A collection of links to the Various medical boards around the United States, useful for making complaints against you local psychiatrist

Monday, October 27, 2014

Washington state's system for mentally ill broken

As seen in this extensive expose on the State of Washington Mental Health System

Some of Washington's mentally ill are strapped to gurneys in emergency rooms awaiting beds in psychiatric hospitals, while others sit in jail for months waiting for competency evaluations and treatment — and some are getting trapped in both broken systems.

One court has already ruled that warehousing mentally ill patients in emergency rooms is unlawful. However, while the state tries to find solutions to its overcrowded psychiatric facilities, some of these distressed patients respond badly to the hospital settings and end up getting charged with assault.

That lands them on the jail competency wait lists — the target of a federal lawsuit that goes to trial in March

Until the state changes the way it funds services for Washington's mentally ill, these patients-turned-inmates will remain in what some call inhumane conditions — trapped in stark concrete cells peering out of tiny windows.

It's a long article that deserves to be read.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Texas attorney general protecting identity of psychiatric nurse fired for patient abuse

As seen in this report (much more info at this link)

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office recently issued a secrecy order protecting the identity of a nurse who was fired twice over patient abuse.

But when The Dallas Morning News questioned the order this week, the attorney general’s office backtracked.

“It was decided that the original ruling was imperfect and a revised ruling needed to be issued,” Abbott spokeswoman Lauren Bean said by email late Wednesday. No revision had been made public by Friday afternoon.

Parkland Memorial Hospital sought the order in a June 30 letter to Abbott, who’s the Republican candidate for governor. It argued that disclosing the nurse’s name to The News would endanger him.

Yet by that point, The News had independently verified the name — Sherwin De Guzman — and published an article using it.

The article described how Parkland caregivers strapped down a spitting psychiatric patient in March, and one of De Guzman’s fellow nurses shoved a toilet paper roll into her mouth. State rules prohibit obstruction of a psychiatric patient’s airway or ability to communicate.

The article also noted that Parkland is fighting a federal civil rights lawsuit stemming from the 2011 death of another restrained De Guzman patient. The death led to a series of government inspections and a virtual federal takeover of the hospital.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Eleven more Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital employees have been suspended as part of an ongoing investigation

As seen in this report from WoodTV.com in Michigan

Eleven more Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital employees have been suspended as part of an ongoing investigation, the state says, and police are now investigating allegations of the assault of a patient. A total of 28 workers have now been suspended with pay for “alleged violation of patient rights,” Michigan Department of Community Health spokeswoman Jennifer Smith told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday. That number is up from 17 on Oct. 9. The state has not released specifics surrounding the alleged violation or violations. And the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is investigating whether employees’ actions were criminal, Chief Jeff Hadley told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday. KDPS said its officers served a search warrant as part of an investigation into the possible assault of a patient. Hadley said there were 19 alleged incidents involving 16 employees and only one patient. He said the incidents happened as long ago as June, but it’s unclear over how long a period of time they occurred. Hadley said the incidents were reported within the first two weeks of October. MDCH says it is cooperating with the KDPS investigation. The state’s Office of Recipient Rights is also investigating the allegations. Smith also said the state is working to fill leadership positions at the facility that were vacated earlier this year in connection to allegations of neglect linked to the death of a patient. That case is separate from the recent suspensions. Smith admitted to 24 Hour News 8 on Oct. 9 that there is a “culture problem” at the hospital, which employs around 500 people, that the state is working to fix. The acting director of the facility is working to educate employees, Smith said. There is currently a hold on new admissions to the hospital. The admissions office is taking information for potential admittance and callers with questions are being referred to the acting director.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Psychiatrist convicted of child sex crimes

From the Forsyth County News out of the state of Tennessee

A Tennessee doctor accused of sex crimes against a minor in Forsyth County was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison. According to court records, John C. Neale was convicted of three counts of child molestation that involved a 6-year-old female relative. The well-known psychiatrist from Johnson City, Tenn., was 74 at the time of his arrest in November 2012, according to an article in The Johnson City Press. “Once he was caught, other people came forward with allegations of abuse dating way back,” said Sandra Partridge, Forsyth’s chief assistant district attorney. However, Neale could only be tried for one case in Georgia since the other incidents occurred in Tennessee. Partridge said Tennessee did not bring charges against Neale, but alleged victims were able to testify in the Georgia case because of a state code that allows relevant offenses to be used as evidence. His 50 years of psychiatry practice gave him expertise in keeping his victims quiet, Partridge said. While the trial was expected to last until Thursday, the verdict arrived two days earlier. Chief Judge Jeffrey Bagley presided over the proceedings. “We were all pleased there was justice in this case finally,” Partridge said. “He’s gotten away with it for 50 years, and it’s about time.”

Friday, October 17, 2014

Texas nursing home psychiatrist in federal custody on 52 counts of fraud, including upcoding

As seen in this report

Authorities have arrested a nursing home psychiatrist and charged him with 52 counts of healthcare fraud, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas announced Thursday. Robert Hadley Gross, M.D., filed Medicare and Medicaid claims for services he did not perform and upcoded to get overpaid for services he did render, according to the charges. The indictment states that he often filed claims for nursing home patients who already had died, and that “for numerous dates of service” he filed claims for more services than he could possibly provide in a given day. His wrongdoing began in 2009 and continued through this year, during which time he racked up nearly $1.75 million in fraudulent payments, according to U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldana of the Northern District of Texas. Gross worked in nursing homes in San Angelo, TX, and in other communities in and around Tom Green County. If convicted, Gross could face 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of fraud. He was arrested Wednesday and was scheduled to appear in court Thursday, according to Saldana's office.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Risperdal Lawsuit News: Testimony Raises Questions About Adherence to Pediatric Dosing Guidelines By Doctors Prescribing Antipsychotic Drugs

As seen in this press release by the lawfirm Bernstein Liebhard LLP

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As Risperdal lawsuits (http://www.risperdallawsuitcenter.com/) continue to mount in U.S. courts, a hearing recently held in Vermont is raising serious questions about the adherence to pediatric dosing guidelines by doctors who prescribe antipsychotic drugs like Risperdal to children, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. According to Dr. David C. Rettew, Director of the Pediatric Psychiatry Clinic at University of Vermont's College of Medicine, a recent survey revealed that doctors in that state followed antipsychotic prescribing guidelines set by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) about 51% of the time. During testimony before Vermont's Mental Health Oversight Committee on September 23rd, Dr. Rettew also noted that the same survey found that the state's physicians only followed the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) recommendations on prescribing antipsychotics to children about 27% of the time. "Dr. Rettew's remarks are concerning, as Risperdal and other antipsychotics are often associated with very serious side effects. In fact, dozens of Risperdal lawsuits that allege the drug caused gynecomastia, or male breast growth, are currently moving through U.S. courts. Many of these cases were filed on behalf of plaintiffs who were prescribed the medication as boys," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free legal consultations to young men and boys who allegedly developed Risperdal due to their use of the antipsychotic medication. Risperdal Lawsuits Risperdal was brought to market in the late 1990s, but was only approved for pediatric uses in 2006. Currently, the drug is indicated for the treatment of adult and adolescent schizophrenia, bipolar disorder in adults and children ages 10-to-17, and irritability in children (5-to-16 years of age) with autistic disorder. The medication is also sometimes prescribed for off-label uses, including the treatment of ADHD in children. According to court documents, more than 700 Risperdal lawsuits have been filed in a consolidated litigation in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania on behalf of plaintiffs who allegedly suffered gynecomastia and other serious side effects due to their use of the medication. They further allege that Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit concealed the drug's risks, including the association between Risperdal and male breast growth. The companies are also accused of improperly marketing Risperdal for off-label uses, including certain pediatric indications. The litigation's first trial involving a gynecomastia claim is scheduled to go to trial on November 3, 2014. (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, Case Number 100300296) According to an announcement issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on November 4, 2013, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen have agreed to pay $2.2 billion to settle charges that they improperly marketed Risperdal and other medications. Under the terms of the settlement, the companies pled guilty to a criminal misdemeanor charge over the illegal marketing of Risperdal for use in elderly dementia patients. However, they did not admit wrongdoing in resolving civil charges over the alleged marketing of the drug for pediatric uses. Men and boys who developed gynecomastia allegedly due to Risperdal may be entitled to pursue legal action against the manufacturers of the medication. Learn more about filing a Risperdal lawsuit by visiting Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. To arrange for a free case review, please contact the Firm directly by calling (888) 340-4807.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Carla Rodgers, Psychiatrist, Testifies in Defense of Fellow Psychiatrist Basem Shlewiet Who Felt Boobs to Check Blood Pressure

As seen on PsychSearch.net (original source is paywalled)

A medical expert called to defend a Doylestown psychiatrist charged with fondling eight female patients said she believed the doctor had acted properly when he checked the women’s heart rate and blood pressure. Testifying Thursday in Bucks County Court, Dr. Carla Rodgers said a psychiatrist regularly monitors vital signs, especially if the patient is medicated. “If I were prescribing a drug that could increase your blood pressure, I’d probably want to do a baseline blood pressure on you,” Rodgers, a psychiatrist from Bala Cynwyd, told defense attorney Louis Busico, after reviewing the notes of Dr. Basem Shlewiet, who’s charged with indecent assault. Depending on the type of medication prescribed, a psychiatrist may need to check a patient’s blood pressure and heart rate, Rodgers said. And, she told jurors, while performing a detailed check of the heart, the doctor would need to examine four points on the chest to ensure a good reading. One of the four points, she explained to Bucks County prosecutor Lindsay Vaughan, is just below a patient’s right breast, which means a doctor could adjust — or ask the patient to lift — the breast in order for the doctor to get a reading. A patient’s comfort level and breast size would be considered when checking the heart rate, Rodgers testified. Shlewiet, she said, “should be able to physically examine his patients.” The 42-year-old psychiatrist is charged with multiple counts of unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and indecent assault. County authorities charged him after several of his patients told police he fondled them under the guise of testing their blood pressure and heart rate. Vaughan, referencing prior testimony from some of the women, asked Rodgers if a psychiatrist should ever touch a female patient’s nipples or vagina during an examination. Rodgers answered such contact would never need to happen. Additionally, Rodgers told the prosecutor there should be a third person in the examination room, especially if the doctor and patient are of the opposite sex. “It’s not just for their protection,” but the doctor’s protection, Rodgers said in response to Vaughan’s question about professional protocol. Each woman who accused Shlewiet of making inappropriate contact had been alone with him during their office visit. Also Thursday, two women — the last of the eight former patients testifying — echoed the accusations made by the other women against Shlewiet. The first woman, who’s 24, told the jury that Shlewiet fondled her breast while he was claiming to check her heart rate and blood pressure. Busico, however, reminded the woman on cross-examination that after her visit she emailed the doctor a thank you for the appointment. The second, who’s 22, said she was seeing Shlewiet to help her overcome a heroin addiction, and believed the doctor had groped her during two separate visits. She said she told her mother about what she thought the doctor had done immediately after the sessions, but her mother was so focused on her recovery that the two put the incidents aside until they learned about Shlewiet’s arrest in January of this year. “He touched my breast like he was examining it or something,” said the woman. “It was like I was going to the gynecologist’s office for a breast exam.” Also, at the end of the day Thursday, several members of Shlewiet’s church addressed the jury to testify to his good character and reputation. More testimony is expected Friday in Bucks County Court in Doylestown.

Sounds like the shrink should have at least informed the patient as to what he was going to do instead of manipulating handling their bodies like some slab of meat.

see Also this earlier report

Both women who testified provided similar stories, saying Shlewiet touched them inappropriately while he claimed to be taking their heart rate and blood pressure. First to testify, a 19-year-old woman said she visited Shlewiet several times with her mother, and, during those visits, the doctor would send her mother out of the room before he would proceed to touch her breast while claiming to be checking her heart rate. She also said that he asked her if she was sexually active. “His hand was completely under my bra,” she said. On her fourth visit, the woman said, Shlewiet placed a stethoscope inside her bra and had her lie on a sofa so he could massage her stomach. “I don’t know if the way he was touching me was right or not but I felt uncomfortable,” she told Bucks County prosecutor Lindsey Vaughn. “He looked at me in really creepy ways. The way he looked at me was like he was checking me out.” After that visit, the woman said she told her parents about her concerns. The next time she visited Shlewiet’s office, her mother refused to leave the office, making the psychiatrist act odd, she said. “He seemed scared, intimidated and sheepish,” she said, talking about the time when her mother stayed in the room. The woman said that then, with her mother in the room, the doctor took her blood pressure and heart rate, but this time, he didn’t move his hand under her bra. “It was nowhere near the way he touched me before,” she told the jury. She also claimed that at times, when Shlewiet would talk to her about her medications and issues, she would see him touching his genitals.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Wife of psychiatrist convicted of sex assault guilty of trying to bribe juror

As reported in the Globe and Mail Be sure to check out this related story on the original trial: Sex-assault victims confront convicted psychiatrist in court

The wife of a Calgary psychiatrist convicted of sexually assaulting his court-appointed patients has been found guilty of trying to bribe a juror during her husband’s trial. Erica Levin was charged with obstruction after a juror came forward to say she had been approached by a relative of the accused. The juror testified this week that she was offered $1,000 if she found Dr. Aubrey Levin not guilty. The psychiatrist was convicted in January, 2013, on three counts of sexual assault against male patients and sentenced to five years in prison. Jurors at Erica Levin’s trial were shown surveillance video of her approaching a female juror at a light-rail transit platform near the courthouse and giving her a note. Levin, who is 70, told court that the note did not contain money, but a suicide note. She testified she had gone to the transit station with the intent to throw herself in front of a train, but decided not to kill herself when she realized she needed to take care of her cat. Levin sobbed as she testified that her husband’s trial was not fair and that gross inconsistencies in the trial added to her depression. During cross-examination, the Crown pointed out that she had other opportunities to kill herself if she wanted to and accused her of lying. The juror was excused from the doctor’s trial after she came forward with her allegations. Levin remains free on bail until her sentencing in November. Aubrey Levin asked for a reduction in his sentence, but it was upheld by the Alberta Court of Appeal in June. The original allegations against him came to light in 2010 after one of his patients stepped forward with secret videos he had recorded during sessions with the psychiatrist. The patient was on probation at the time the videos were taken and had been ordered by a court to see Levin twice a month. The man said he had told authorities about previous assaults and no one believed him, so he bought a spy camera and brought it to his appointments. Levin, who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, was frequently used by the courts to assess people and provide expert opinions at hearings. He served briefly as director for the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon and was licensed in 1998 to practise psychiatry in Alberta. Levin is no stranger to controversy over his work. He faced heated accusations about his time as a military psychiatrist during apartheid in South Africa, where he earned his degree in 1963. In the 1970s, he was a psychiatrist at a military hospital where aversion therapy through electric shocks was allegedly used in an attempt to change the sexuality of gay soldiers. Levin is mentioned in a report that aimed to shed light on abuses of gays and lesbians in the military by health workers.

Lawsuit by former Kamehameha students alleges decades of sex abuse at hands of school psychiatrist

As reported by KHON in Hawaii

Former Kamehameha Schools students have stepped forward saying they were sexually abused while they attended the school. Their claims were outlined in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in State Circuit Court by their attorney, Michael Green.

Green says for now, he is representing eight men who all say they were sexually abused and molested at the hands of Dr. Robert McCormick Browne, a psychiatrist who Green says worked for Kamehameha Schools and conducted so-called therapy sessions on the students, falling within a 21-year period from 1958-1981. Green says, at the time, Browne was the Chief of Psychiatry at St. Francis Medical Center and the boys were all younger than 16 years old.

“Many of them had minor problems at Kamehameha Schools when they were young, from 7th grade and 8th grade, and they were referred to Dr. Browne,” said Green. “If they did not see Dr. Browne, the threat was (they would) get expelled.”

Green says Dr. Browne died in 1991. According to the lawsuit, the so-called therapy sessions took place at the doctor’s home in Manoa along with a vacation home in Kamuela during weekend sleepovers. Green says the doctor was a dorm adviser and was given access to students at their dorm rooms. Green says the victims also allege the sessions took place at the doctor’s office at St. Francis.

The lawsuit comes just as the statute of limitations on the filing of child sex and molestation cases is set to expire next month, a deadline that was set two years ago by the state legislature. But there is a move to grant yet another extension for those who are willing to come forward and file suit. KHON2 obtained a copy of Senate Bill 2687, a measure that would extend the statute of limitations even further. If this measure becomes law, complainants who allege child sexual abuse will get to file civil suits up until they turn the age of 55.

State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro introduced the bill and also won approval for the two-year extension that expires next month. As for the age of 55, Sen Shimabukuro said, “It’s a way to strike a compromise between the rights of the accused and the rights of the victims.”

There's a video report

Thursday, September 25, 2014

E. Texas psychiatrist Riyaz Mazcuri has been arrested, accused of trafficking Indian women for forced labor, prostitution

As reported on the KLTV website KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News

An East Texas psychiatrist has been arrested and charged in connection with what’s being described as a ‘forced labor conspiracy’ in New York. Riyaz Mazcuri, was arrested Thursday by the Gregg County Sheriff's Office and booked in the jail on a federal warrant. According to documents from the federal court in the Southern District of New York, Mazcuri, known as ‘The Doctor,’ was indicted along with three other men accused of organizing a human trafficking organization. Mazcuri is a psychiatrist who has practiced in Texas for several years in Houston and most recently at a facility in Kilgore. Federal court documents state the men would hire female dancers in India under the assumption they would perform cultural programs in the United States. Prosecutors allege when they would get to the U.S., the women would be forced to dance in nightclubs in front of men for twelve to fourteen hours per night, seven nights a week. Some of the performers were reportedly engaged in prostitution. The men would reportedly force the women to perform by confiscating their passports and by threatening them with physical violence. The group reportedly operated in New York and in other locations from 2008 to 2010. According to jail records, Mazcuri has a Houston address. He appeared before a judge via video conference Friday afternoon where a judge allowed Mazcuri to be released on $300,000 bond. Mazcuri must now appear before a judge in a New York City federal court on August 1.

Friday, August 08, 2014

Washington State Supreme Court rules psychiatric boarding unlawful

As seen in this report (more info at the link)

The Washington State Supreme Court ruled Thursday that boarding psychiatric patients temporarily in hospital emergency rooms and acute care centers because there isn’t space at certified psychiatric treatment facilities is unlawful.

The court ruled unanimously that patients held temporarily in settings that don’t provide individualized psychiatric treatment violates the state’s Involuntary Treatment Act.

“It’s always been inhumane not to provide treatment, now it’s clearly illegal,” said Ross Hunter, D-Medina, Chair of the State House Appropriations Committee. Hunter said the state will have to respond sooner than the Legislature can act, which might not be until a new budget can be approved next spring.

[...]

“If a client is strapped to an emergency bed rather than being in a psychiatric treatment environment, it can be traumatic for the patient and can certainly delay healing,” De Felice said. Effective outpatient treatment can also be less costly, he said.

[...]

The Supreme Court said in its ruling that patients may not be warehoused without treatment because of a lack of funds nor can it justify the state’s failure to provide the treatment necessary for recovery.

The ruling quotes the Involuntary Treatment Act which says, “Each person involuntarily detained or committed pursuant to (the Act) shall have the right to adequate care and individualized treatment.”

Friday, July 04, 2014

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia has announced that Dr. Paul Eric Termansen must have a chaperone present any time he is treating a female patient, unless it is part of a group session.

As seen in this report in the North Shore News of British Columbia

A North Shore psychiatrist has retired from practice after being censured by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia.

The regulatory body announced last week that Dr. Paul Eric Termansen must have a chaperone present any time he is treating a female patient, unless it is part of a group session. Beyond that, Termansen must display a sign in his reception and treatment rooms stating the requirements for female patients and must notify the college if he wants to practise at another location.

The interim requirements came after allegations made by three female former patients "which included kissing and embracing, comments of a sexual nature, and a joint business venture with resultant negative financial consequences and threatened litigation," according to a statement from the college. Termansen refutes the claims.

"It would be important to understand these are unproven allegations. The allegations raise serious concerns and our role is to ensure patient safety as well as thoroughly investigating the complaints of these three women and it does take some time," said Dr. Heidi Oetter, the college's registrar.

According to Vancouver Coastal Health, Termansen will not be treating any more patients at Lions Gate Hospital. "We are aware of the college's actions. Dr. Termansen has retired. His last day seeing patients is today,' said Anna Marie D'Angelo, senior media relations officer for Vancouver Coastal Health on Monday. "Dr. Termansen has been a long-serving member of the medical staff at Lions Gate Hospital." According to Oetter, Termansen is still licensed and the investigation will continue.

Attempts to reach Termansen were unsuccessful.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Fox News Psychiatrist Claims World Cup an Obama Government Conspiracy

Keith Ablow, a Fox News psychiatrist, thinks that the World Cup might be an Obama government conspiracy

It was only a matter of time before a Fox News panelist suggested the FIFA World Cup presented a convenient distraction from the problems facing President Barack Obama. "I'm suspect," (Fox psychiatrist) Dr. Keith Ablow said Thursday on "Outnumbered" as the US men's national team faced off against Germany. "I am suspect because, here's the thing. Why, at a time when there are so many national and international issues of such prominence -- I'm a little suspicious of yet another bread-and-circus routine. Let's roll out the marijuana, pull back the laws, and get people even more crazy about yet another entertainment event." Ablow's four female co-hosts weren't buying it, interrupting him with protests of "what?" and "what's wrong with you?" "This is a way to distract people," Ablow continued. "This is like Rome. I can see why Obama would love the World Cup --" "What are you talking about?" interjected Kimberly Guilfoyle, who said her son plays soccer. "This is encouraging for kids to get out and play sports, and you can play soccer from a young age." Ablow continued to insist he found it odd that "people are playing games more than ever" when there are other pressing issues to pay attention to. He didn't enumerate what those issues may be. "Gosh, I'm gonna have to disagree with the doctor here," Harris Faulkner chimed in. "They set these schedules years ago. It's not like they lined it up with the current events of the world, so no way is that the case."

The Doctor is plainly crazy

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Wisconsin Psychiatrist Dr. Ron Rubin has medical license suspended indefinitely, accused of smoking pot with patients, prescribing dangerous amounts of prescription drugs, and even treating underage girls without their parents’ consent.

You can read the court order here The court order, issued by the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board, says Dr. Rubin overprescribed stimulants to at least 9 patients last year, many of them people he met at Wisconsin strip clubs. In some cases he prescribed six times the recommended maximum dose of amphetamines. As seen in this report

Rubin’s own lawyer admits the allegations against him are striking. “The medical board I think hearing what sounded like some pretty awful allegations I think acted appropriately and summarily suspended his license,” said Hal Harlowe, one of Dr. Rubin’s attorneys. It’s the first time he’s had any formal action taken against him, even though he’s been the subject of 11 complaints dating back to 1997. “I think it’s awful particularly because I did attempt to take his, get his license from him,” says a former patient. [...] It’s impossible to say what he’s been accused of, because the state shreds complaints against doctors every 5 to 7 years. From what little information is still available, it appears most cases involved allegations of professional misconduct. The majority of complaints, though, weren’t even investigated. It’s impossible to say what he’s been accused of, because the state shreds complaints against doctors every 5 to 7 years. From what little information is still available, it appears most cases involved allegations of professional misconduct. The majority of complaints, though, weren’t even investigated.

There is also two video reports

There is a lot more at the linked news story

Friday, March 07, 2014

Comedy TV: Beverly Hillbillies Season 1 Episode 34 - The Psychiatrist Gets Clampetted

Classic American TV Comedy Show

The show was ranked #1 and attracted as many as 60 million viewers per week. The Clampett Clan included Buddy Ebsen (Jed), Irene Ryan ("Granny"), Max Baer Jr. (Jethro), Donna Douglas (Elly May). Also starred Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale), and Nancy Kulp (Jane Hathaway)

In this episode, Jethro finally gets his bill of health from Dr. Twombly so he can graduate the fifth grade, but Twombly really wants to talk to Grannie again. Drysdale brings him to the Clampetts' just as Grannie showed Pearl how to use a love potion, so everyone thinks Twombly's interest in Grannie is love.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Waking up from sadness: Many find trouble getting off antidepressants

Part of a much longer story at Al Jazeera America:

Long-term use of antidepressants has become increasingly common over the past decade, according to a recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey study. Some 70 percent of the estimated 16 million long-term users in the United States — defined as having used the drugs more than 24 months — are women. Data from IMS Health, as reported in a study published in the December Journal of Clinical Psychiatry by lead author Dr. Ramin Mojtabai, shows antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed medication class in the U.S. It links national trends in increased long-term use of antidepressants with treatment in primary-care settings, where most antidepressants are prescribed. Scott, who did not see a mental-health specialist until 2010, believes her general practitioners repeatedly misdiagnosed her. “Nobody’s listening,” Scott said. “They just prescribe.” With the help of a nonprofit withdrawal program, Scott has been working to become antidepressant-free after finding out last year that she has thyroid disease as well as a hormonal imbalance. Working to address these underlying physical conditions, Scott said she feels better than she has in years. [...] . . . findings in the April issue of the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics that found almost two-thirds of a sample of 5,000 patients diagnosed with depression within the previous year did not meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for a major depressive episode. Instead, the patients were given false positive diagnoses, according to Mojtabai’s study. [...] “Almost anything emotionally and behaviorally destructive can happen during withdrawal because serotonin is the most widespread neurotransmitter in the brain,” said (Peter) Breggin, the psychiatric withdrawal expert. Coming off SSRIs can cause “all kinds of behavioral and neurological disturbances,” he said, listing some common side effects, such as “shocklike feelings in the head, imbalance, odd feelings in different parts of your body, depression, hopelessness, suicidal feelings and actions, disabling anxiety and persisting sexual dysfunction.” But Breggin warned not to be discouraged by these side effects, since it is not yet known whether any damage is irreversible. “There’s a reason to come off,” he said. “You want to try as best as you can to withdraw, because it’s only going to get worse in time.”

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Former Veterans Affairs Psychiatrist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud

As seen in this press Release from the US Department of Justice

Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Former Veterans Affairs Psychiatrist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud Dr. Mikhail L. Presman, a licensed psychiatrist employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), pleaded guilty today to health care fraud for falsely billing Medicare for home medical treatment to Medicare beneficiaries and agreed to forfeit more than $1.2 million in illegal profits. Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch of the Eastern District of New York, and Special Agent in Charge Thomas O’Donnell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement. According to court documents, from Jan. 1, 2006, through May 10, 2013, Presman submitted approximately $4 million in Medicare claims for home treatment of Medicare beneficiaries notwithstanding his full-time, salaried position as a psychiatrist at the VA hospital in Brooklyn. Contrary to his representations, Presman did not provide any treatment to a substantial number of the beneficiaries he claimed to have treated. For example, Presman submitted claims to Medicare for home medical visits at locations within New York City even though he was physically located in China at the time of these purported home visits. Additionally, Presman submitted claims to Medicare for 55 home medical visits to beneficiaries who were hospitalized on the date of the purported visits. Presman is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge I. Leo Glasser of the Eastern District of New York on Feb. 13, 2014, and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The case was investigated by the HHS-OIG, with assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Bryan D. Fields of the Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia E. Notopoulos of the Eastern District of New York. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers. To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov