Would a psychiatrist really be shagging a patient?

[JenniferL90]

Because apparently a friend of mine is deeply in love with hers and they have great sex.....a lot.

I find it really hard to believe (isn't it really common for someone to fall in love with psychiatrists etc) but she's off numerous times a week to meet him. Sneaking about etc.

She's married and he's apparently getting married next year. (But out of duty and apparently he doesn't have sex with the woman he's marrying......)

It just seems so unlikely.

I do daydream about sending either her husband or the psychiatrist a letter outing it all. But I think I'm the only person who knows and I don't want to be a part of the fallout.

some psychs are sneaky and abusive like this and some people lie and make up fantasy stories - or truly believe them. hard call.

True. And some Psychiatrists use their position to prey on/exploit 'vulnerable' people and then say 'no-one will believe you, you've got a history of psychosis/self-harm/addiction/personality disorder'.

Not my personal experience but certainly what I know was said by an abusive Psychiatrist.

A psychiatrist shouldn't treat a friend, so it's strange that he is treating someone he also sees socially.

Are they just pretending that she is having treatment so that they can shag? As in they were friends, started an affair and are now pretending that he is her psychiatrist as a cover for regular meetings?

I have bi polar

I don’t really mind being described as vulnerable in terms of the psychiatrist/ patient relationship because I am. They know everything about me and I know nothing about them.

Iv worked closely with psychiatrists for 20 years on a daily basis , i have never encountered anything like this.

I have though on a weekly basis encountered patients who have ideas that are very detached from reality about their psychiatrists.

@dirtyprettything

Some of the posts above suggest reporting to the GMC which I'm all for if it's true, however I'd only do this if you're 100% sure, i.e. you have proof. A GMC investigation can take years and is a known cause of Dr suicide due to the huge stress it places on the individual in question.

I'm a psych nurse, I've worked with 2 psychiatrists who got struck off for sagging patients. Both played the "of course I didn't, she's a psych patient" card, in both cases there was hard evidence, so it definitely happens.
However, a psychiatrist treating a friend, never heard of this, sounds incredibly fishy.

OP used the word 'apparently' which makes me feel cautious. Also claims to daydream about telling the husband which I find an odd phrase. OP what advice have you given this friend.

What’s the implication of your post nomud?

• you appear to be suggesting that:

A) the relationship is likely fictitious

And

B) as a psych patient, she’s less credible

Seeing a psychiatrist could be a double entendre though surely? If you're having an affair with a friend who happens to be a psychiatrist then it can still be said that you're "seeing a psychiatrist. .

Nomud - you can't work that closely then if you've never encountered it.

You can Google Dr Adam Osbourne, Dr Ovais Badat, Dr Graham Craig, Dr Andrew Mcbride, Dr Theodore Soutzos......there are more too.

It’s not for OP to establish truth/“proof”: it’s for the employer and GMC to investigate misconduct.

Precisely.

A disclosure has been made of sexual misconduct. It is to be reported. End of.

And he is definitely a psychiatrist and not a psychotherapist/counsellor? There is a big difference

Big difference how?

Difference in regulatory body, perhaps, but no difference in that a sexual relationship with a service user is misconduct.

There is a big difference because a psychiatrist is a doctor who has trained for 5 years at med school and then specialised in psychiatry. They are qualified and will know absolutely that a relationship with a patient could lose them their job - they are treating some of the most vulnerable people in society. I can assure you that you need to be really very unwell to be under the care of a NHS psychiatrist at the moment. Psychotherapists/counsellors - well absolutely any one can set themselves up as one of these, no qualifications needed. They may be a qualified psychotherapist and be accredited by BACP, but if they aren't - who are you going to complain to? That's why it is relevant, although of course it is wrong in both instances

Psychotherapists train for 5 years plus and have several years of therapy themselves as part of their training.

Anyone can call themselves a counsellor but a psychotherapist has a professional qualification and a governing body.

i used to administer an insurance scheme for psychologists and psychiatrists in private practice and would get notifications of "boundary issues" (i.e doctor shagging patient) all the time. I don't think it is at all uncommon.

It is grounds for disciplinary proceedings however.

If you let the cat out of the bag, it would not be you responsible for the consequences. It would be the shagger and to a lesser extent in this case, the shagee.

Her husband and his wife to be deserve to know the truth and to make decisions about their lives based on that truth.

I don't doubt some psychotherapists do train for 5 years, what I am saying is that the industry is not regulated, accreditation is voluntary - anyone can set themselves up as either a psychotherapist or a counsellor without any qualifications

dirtypretty yes the relationship is a very odd one isn't it? I felt vulnerable in that sense too. Now I am collaborating work wise with my ex-therapist and its been a bit strange to navigate.

I recently admitted I was always worried about offending him when criticising his writing and he was all 'wtf - you KNOW I can take criticism' and I had to remind him that I actually know sweet FA about his personality outside of the professional therapist mask....

Interesting that the op hasent been back since page one....