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Wisconsin psychiatrist accused of medical malpractice

A Wisconsin psychiatrist is alleged to have over-prescribed medications to multiple patients in the past year, and perhaps even more in the years previous to that. Records indicate that he has already faced at least one medical malpractice case in the past. In light of the allegations he is facing, the medical board preemptively suspended the psychiatrist’s license.

One of the victims involved in this case — a teenage girl who worked as a nanny for the psychiatrist’s family — claims that the pair smoked marijuana in his at-home office. She was also diagnosed with and treated for depression and ADD without her parent’s knowledge or consent. Ultimately, she was prescribed double the maximum dose of Adderall, although her mother says that the psychiatrist took some of the medication for himself.

According to the Wisconsin Medical Examining board, this teenage girl is only one of nine patients that were over-prescribed medication in the past year. Many of these patients visited the psychiatrist’s at-home office to receive their prescriptions, a fact that his wife says she was not aware of until stories began to come to light during their divorce. Apparently, he met several of his patients at local strip clubs.

In 1998, a patient lodged a medical malpractice claim against the psychiatrist, alleging that he sexually exploited her after purposely hooking her on prescription medication. Although the patient lost her case, the over-prescription of medication was never disputed. The nine Wisconsin patients that were over-medicated may be facing a lengthy recovery process to overcome a possible addiction to prescription medication that this psychiatrist is said to have readily doled out. In order to seek compensation for damages and any possible related medical bills, patients retain the legal right to pursue a medical malpractice claim against the psychiatrist.

Source: Fox 6 Now, “Psychiatrist accused of smoking pot with patient, overprescribing ADD meds“, Meghan Dwyer, April 27, 2014

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