Abstract
The inclusion in the Hippocratic oath of a specific injunction against a physician’s having sexual relationships with patients indicates that this concern 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 physicians2–4 does not appear to have much deterrent effect on that segment of the profession that chooses to have sex with their patients.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Official Actions of the American Psychiatric Association. The principles of medical ethics with annotations especially applicable to psychiatry. Am. J. Psychiatry 130: 1061, 1973.
Masters, W. H., and Johnson, V. E. Human Sexual Inadequacy. Boston: Little, Brown, 1970, pp. 388–391.
Demac, D. Masters blasts innumerable patient rapes. Hosp. Trrb. 9 (13): 1, 1975.
Macklin, R. Ethics, sex research and sex therapy. The Hastings Center Report 6: 5–7, 1976.
Stone, M. Management of unethical behavior in a psychiatric hospital staff. Am. J. Psychother. 29: 391–401, 1975.
Braceland, F. Historical perspectives of the ethical practice of psychiatry. Am. J. Psychiatry 126: 230–237, 1969.
West, L. J. Ethical psychiatry and biosocial humanism. Am. J. Psychiatry 126: 226–230 1969.
Mintz, E. Touch and psychoanalytic tradition. Psychoanal. Rev. 56: 365–376 1969.
Ellenberger, H. The Discovery of the Unconscious. New York: Basic Books, 1970, pp. 891–893.
Jones, E. The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud, vol. 1. New York: Basic Books, 1953, pp. 224–225.
Freud, S. Observations on Transference-Love. The Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Tr. by James Stachey, vol. XII. London: Hogarth Press, 1958, pp. 159–171.
Jones, E. The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud. vol. 3. New York: Basic Books, 1953, pp. 163–165.
Roazen, P. Brother Animal. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1969.
Marmor, J. Sexual acting-out in psychotherapy. Am. J. Psychoanal. 32: 3–8, 1972.
Voth, H. M. Love affair between doctor and patient. Am. J. Psychother. 26: 394–400, 1972.
Dawidoff, D. J. The Malpractice of Psychiatrists. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas, 1973.
Finney, J. C. Therapist and patient after hours. Am. J. Psychother. 29: 593–602, 1975.
Siassi, I., and Thomas, M. Physicians and the new sexual freedom. Am. J. Psychiatry 130: 1256–1257, 1973.
Chesler P. Women and Madness. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1972.
Belote, B. Sexual intimacy between female clients and male psychotherapists: Masochistic sabotage. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, California School of Professional Psychology, 1974.
Dahlberg, C. Sexual contact between patient and therapist. Contemp. Psychoanal. 6: 107–124, 1970.
Bergman, I. Scenes From a Marriage. Tr. by A. Blair. New York: Pantheon Books, 1974.
Boas, C. V. E. The doctor-patient relationship. J. Sex Res. 2: 215–218, 1966.
Moyer, L. What obstetrical journal advertising tells about doctors and women. Birth Family J. 2: 111–116, 1975.
Kardener, S., Fuller, M., and Mensh, I. A survey of physician’s attitudes and practices regarding erotic and non-erotic contact with patients. Am. J. Psychiatry 130: 1077–1081, 1973.
Perry, J. A. Physicians’ erotic and nonerotic physical involvement with patients. Am. J. Psychiatry 133: 838–840, 1976.
Minutes of Northern California Psychiatric Society Committee on Women, 1975–1976.
Report of the Task Force on Sex Bias and Sex-role Stereotyping in Psychotherapeutic Practice. American Psychological Association, April 1975.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1984 Agathon Press, Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Davidson, V. (1984). Psychiatry’s Problem with No Name. In: Rieker, P.P., Carmen, E. (eds) The Gender Gap in Psychotherapy. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4754-5_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4754-5_24
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-4756-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-4754-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive