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Psychiatry's problem with no name: Therapist-patient sex

Psychiatry's problem with no name: Therapist-patient sex THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY'S PROBLEM WITH NO NAME: THERAPIST-PATIENT SEX* Virginia Davidson The inclusion in the Hippocratic oath of a specific injunction against a physician's having sexual relationships with patients indicates that this con- cern has a venerable history among physicians. Elaboration of these same ethical proscriptions in the current annotated version of medical ethics applicable to psychiatrists confirms that this concern exists into the present. 1 Moral outrage is regularly expressed by physicians toward those physicians who, in spite of the ethical restraints imposed by the above-mentioned codes, nonetheless indulge themselves sexually with their patients. Yet the force and sincerity of the call for integrity among physicians 2-4 does not appear to have much deterrent effect on that segment of the profession that chooses to have sex with their patients. How can this ethical stance be reconciled with the increasing evidence that indicates therapist-patient sex may be far more prevalent than previously thought? Writers who have dealt with this topic have comforted themselves and their audiences with the hopeful observation that serious forms of unethical behavior--such as having sex with one's patients--exists only among a few practitioners, s-7 One writer, finding the idea "absurd" that any well-qualified http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The American Journal of Psychoanalysis Springer Journals

Psychiatry's problem with no name: Therapist-patient sex

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis , Volume 37 (1): 8 – Mar 1, 1977

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References (31)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
1977 The Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis
ISSN
0002-9548
eISSN
1573-6741
DOI
10.1007/BF01252822
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY'S PROBLEM WITH NO NAME: THERAPIST-PATIENT SEX* Virginia Davidson The inclusion in the Hippocratic oath of a specific injunction against a physician's having sexual relationships with patients indicates that this con- cern has a venerable history among physicians. Elaboration of these same ethical proscriptions in the current annotated version of medical ethics applicable to psychiatrists confirms that this concern exists into the present. 1 Moral outrage is regularly expressed by physicians toward those physicians who, in spite of the ethical restraints imposed by the above-mentioned codes, nonetheless indulge themselves sexually with their patients. Yet the force and sincerity of the call for integrity among physicians 2-4 does not appear to have much deterrent effect on that segment of the profession that chooses to have sex with their patients. How can this ethical stance be reconciled with the increasing evidence that indicates therapist-patient sex may be far more prevalent than previously thought? Writers who have dealt with this topic have comforted themselves and their audiences with the hopeful observation that serious forms of unethical behavior--such as having sex with one's patients--exists only among a few practitioners, s-7 One writer, finding the idea "absurd" that any well-qualified

Journal

The American Journal of PsychoanalysisSpringer Journals

Published: Mar 1, 1977

Keywords: Clinical Psychology; Psychotherapy; Psychoanalysis

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