Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:164-169
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
Psychiatrist-patient sexual contact: results of a national survey, II: Psychiatrists' attitudes
JL Herman, N Gartrell, S Olarte, M Feldstein and R Localio
In a national random-sample survey of 1,423 practicing psychiatrists, the
overwhelming majority of the respondents (98%) said that therapist- patient
sexual contact is always inappropriate and usually harmful to the patient.
However, 29.6% said that such contact after termination of therapy might
sometimes be acceptable. Psychiatrists who acknowledged having had sexual
contact with one or more patients (N = 84) differed markedly from their
peers in their attitudes. The majority (74%) of these offenders believed
that sexual contact could be appropriate after termination; many apparently
rationalized their behavior in this manner. The authors discuss the need
for systematic professional education on the subject.
