Bangor psychiatrist ordered to stop treating women

As reported by the Bangor Daily News

A Bangor psychiatrist must stop treating women after allegedly developing an unprofessional relationship with a female patient, according to a state medical licensing board.

Dr. Fred Risser may treat only men and must submit to independent monitoring of his practice to ensure he meets prescribing and recordkeeping standards, his May 12 consent agreement with the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine states.

While a 30-year-old female was his patient in 2009 and 2010, Risser drove the woman to the pharmacy in his personal vehicle, advocated for her while she was in jail, deposited money into her jail bank account, stored her personal property at his home and allowed her access to his home while he was away, according to the agreement. Risser treated the patient at his private practice in Bangor and at Community Health and Counseling Services in Ellsworth.

In June 2013, Risser met with the licensing board and agreed to take classes in boundaries and professionalism, medical ethics, recordkeeping and the use of medications to treat psychiatric disorders. He also agreed to transfer the patient to another psychiatrist, the agreement states.

In April 2014, Community Health and Counseling warned Risser about prescribing tranquilizers to patients on opioid replacement medications, a combination that raises the risk of overdose and death.

Then in May 2014, a 51-year-old patient he treated in Ellsworth told the board Risser slapped her on the buttocks while escorting her up the stairs to an appointment.

Community Health and Counseling fired Risser in May 2014 for unprofessional conduct, according to the agreement. In signing the consent agreement, Risser neither admitted nor denied the allegations but acknowledged the board had enough evidence to determine the alleged incidents occurred if the issue were to proceed to a formal hearing. He must reimburse the board $4,344 for the cost of the investigation.

In other words, he did it.

Enyinnaya Ezema, Canadian (formerly UK) Psychiatrist, charged with assault, loses license

According to CBC News

Dr. Enyinnaya Ezema has been charged with assault stemming from an incident on Dec. 16, said Const. Ken MacDonald of the New Glasgow Regional Police. The police responded to a call at an outpatient facility on East River Road in New Glasgow. The incident did not take place at the Aberdeen Hospital, MacDonald said.

As of April 21, Ezema is no longer licensed to practise medicine in the province. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia said Ezema cannot practise because he had a licence that was conditional on the support of a sponsor. Dr. Gus Grant, the registrar and CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, said earlier this week that Ezema’s sponsor withdrew the sponsorship. The college does not know why the sponsor withdrew, said Grant.

Legislation says the sponsor is “usually a senior physician, typically, the head of a department or chief of staff,” said Grant.

“It’s a decision entirely for the sponsor to make,” he continued. “In fact, this is a question that’s been assessed in our courts and it’s well established that a decision with respect to sponsorship resides with the individual sponsor.” Before the assault charge was revealed, CBC News contacted the Nova Scotia Health Authority in Pictou for information about why Ezema was no longer practising. They declined an interview. “The Nova Scotia Health Authority is not commenting on this suspension nor can we discuss the reasons for it,” said Eileen MacIsaac.

Ezema is due in Pictou provincial court on May 19.

The psychiatrist came to Pictou County from the United Kingdom and started his psychiatry practice in December 2012, according to a release from the local health authority at the time.

Belgian psychiatrist Walter Vandereycken deregistered (lost his license) over sexual abuse

As seen in this report from BioEdge, a weekly newsletter about cutting-edge bioethical issues.

A Belgian psychiatrist who sexually abused a patient who subsequently sought euthanasia has been deregistered.

Walter Vandereycken’s offences surfaced in 2012 when Ann G, a woman with anorexia nervosa, accused him on Terzake, a well-known current affairs program. He was suspended from his position as a professor at the Catholic University of Leuven (KULeuven), but continued in private practice. Now he has been suspended for life from the medical profession. (See original report in BioEdge.)

Vandereycken, who is now 65, was no ordinary psychiatrist. Apart from being a sexologist, he was an international expert on anorexia (with a textbook published in English). Apparently he had been abusing patients for years; colleagues suspected, but no one blew the whistle.

When Ann G appeared on Terzake, she had apparently already requested euthanasia. Going public gave her a brief respite from "the cancer in her head". However, she was bitterly disappointed that the man who had victimised her had not been severely disciplined. Then, overseen by a kindly new psychiatrist, she exercised her option.

Oddly enough, none of the newspaper reports mentioned her death.

Terzake is a Dutch sews and current affairs TV magazine, presented by Lieven Verstraete or Annelies Beck.