Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149:651-653
Copyright © 1992 by American Psychiatric Association
Ethics complaints against female psychiatrists
KM Mogul
Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and
nature of investigated ethics complaints against female psychiatrists and
to compare them with those against male psychiatrists. METHOD: The author,
a member of the APA Ethics Committee, reviewed informal records kept by her
during a period of just under 5 years. RESULTS: The Ethics Committee
reviewed 259 complaints against men and 30 against women, constituting a
prevalence rate of about 1.1% against male members and 0.4% against female
members. Thirty-nine percent of the complaints against men and 60% against
women were dismissed. Eighty-five sexual complaints against male
psychiatrists and eight against female psychiatrists (of which two and six,
respectively, were for homosexual behavior) were investigated. Also
investigated were 19 complaints involving discourtesy or poor judgment
against men and two against women, 21 of breach of confidentiality against
men and three against women, and 23 involving financial matters against men
and four against women. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of informal records,
there were fewer investigated ethics complaints against female than against
male psychiatrists, and more of these were dismissed after investigation. A
greater proportion of the complaints of sexual exploitation made against
women were for homosexual involvement. Cultural power differentials between
genders may in part explain some of the data.
