False Sexual Harassment Complaint--Male Psychiatrists Beware!

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Midwest Headshrinker

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OK, I am an older male NP (from a real established, "brick and mortar" midwestern nursing school, not a on-line type), and here is my story.

I work in a community mental health clinic. It is me, one other NP, and a great psychiatrist-we manage the medications of over 2000 hardcore psych patients. Probably 99.5% are Medicaid, and 70% are on SSI, or SSDI. Lots of schizophrenia, schizoaffective d/o, bipolar d/o, and BORDERLINES! I have never had any issues in over 30 years of psych experience (other than the occasion threat to my life, violent patient on the unit, etc...), and keep working at the clinic, as I feel that I am helping those most in need.

Well anyway, about a month ago, I saw a older female patient (older than me), and our session went fine. I have seen her for over six years. She is a borderline "deluxe model", and also has periods of paranoia and delusional thinking. None the less, about one week after our last session, I get this "crazy" letter at work from her, which rambled on about nothing. Real weird, indeed. I have gotten this type letter before, so I just read it, and held onto it, which was a smart move.

Anyway, out of the clear blue, several weeks ago, I get this call from HR, who tells me that this patient has filed a sexual harassment complaint against me. She alleged that during our session, I tried to engage in sexual activity with her, right there in the office, w/ people all around the clinic. HR showed me absolutely no mercy. Honestly, you would have thought I had been charged w/ murder, for how I was treated.

I was told that I was suspended, was NOT to have any contact with anybody in the clinic until their "investigation" was over, and I was to not get near the facility. I was not given any rights, and I couldn't call anybody, to at least vent my feelings and shock, over such a crazy accusation. Plus my suspension was w/o pay.

Well, they conducted their "investigation", and I was recently notified that I was cleared. No apologies, no nothing. I asked the HR person, "Do you know what you just put me through for over one week?" (depressed, angry, unable to sleep), and this person said "no"--just like it was no big deal. I asked this person, "What if I had a wife and three young children at home?). No sympathy, nothing.

I am going back to work this week, but I am scared to death now to be in an office, alone w/ a female patient. Psych is different than IM or FP, where a medical assistant can come in during an exam, as a chaperon. I was tempted to retire, and be done w/ it, but I am going back w/ utmost fear of this happening again. Bottom line is, what is a male provider to do? You certainly can't put a camera in there? HIPPA laws will burn you big time!

Despite her severe mental illness, I would have never expected this patient to do what she did. So please help me figure out a way to keep safe from this happening to me, or even you. If you have an answer, please post it!

And BTW, for all you MD Psych Residents, I agree with much of what has been written about NP's. Many, who had years of hospital RN work before becoming Psych NP's are very good. Many (not all) of those NP's, who get their certifications, with much of it on-line, are horrible and even dangerous. I worked nearly 20 years in every type of psych environment there is prior to becoming an NP, and learned a lot from good MD's, and learned what not to do, from bad MD's. All NP's should have 4-5 years hospital experience, before being allowed to become NP's, and treat patients, unsupervised.

And finally, I have seen posts about what NP's make. Here in the midwest, A new NP will start in the $50-60 dollar per hour range, and a real experienced one, might make $100. In areas where there isn't a psychiatrist within 50 miles, and complete independent practice is allowed for the NP, he or she might make $125-$150 per hour.

I do believe that the people who run health care today are trying to replace as many MD's as possible (FP, IM, peds, psych)--purely for $$ reasons. Heck, a few months ago I had a kidney stone, and the first person to see me at the urologist office was an NP.... Still, a good psychiatrist will always have a path for a great/successful career, no matter what happens w/ NP's!

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Re: retaining counsel, if you don't want to immediately want to shell out even getting someone with "Esq." after their name to send an innocuous request for clarification on official looking letterhead on your behalf often makes everyone real cooperative all of a sudden.
 
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First the ER resident that got falsely accused of showing a kid nude pics just bc his neighbor didn't like how fast he was driving and now this...
 
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Really unfortunate to hear this. As much as i am no longer enjoying telepsyc plus 1 or rather like 10 for telepsych on this issue.
 
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I am sorry you had that awful experience both from the patient and even worse from your own complany. If you haven't already consider notifying your malpractice insurance about the incident.
 
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Is no one else wondering about the necessity to use the term "deluxe model" in characterizing an individual with borderline PD? I get that ****ty things happen, and some patients will be litigious, but I would avoid using such perjorative terms in describing groups of people that we serve on a weekly, if not daily basis. Particularly on a public forum. What better way to actually encourage lawsuits in the future, than by showing your complete disdain for patients publicly?
 
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Is no one else wondering about the necessity to use the term "deluxe model" in characterizing an individual with borderline PD? I get that ****ty things happen, and some patients will be litigious, but I would avoid using such perjorative terms in describing groups of people that we serve on a weekly, if not daily basis. Particularly on a public forum. What better way to actually encourage lawsuits in the future, than by showing your complete disdain for patients publicly?

IDK I interpreted it as indicating severe. :shrug:
 
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Is no one else wondering about the necessity to use the term "deluxe model" in characterizing an individual with borderline PD? I get that ****ty things happen, and some patients will be litigious, but I would avoid using such perjorative terms in describing groups of people that we serve on a weekly, if not daily basis. Particularly on a public forum. What better way to actually encourage lawsuits in the future, than by showing your complete disdain for patients publicly?

Regardless of whether the allegations are true or not, my first thought reading the post was ‘I’m somehow not surprised’.
 
OK, I am an older male NP (from a real established, "brick and mortar" midwestern nursing school, not a on-line type), and here is my story.

I work in a community mental health clinic. It is me, one other NP, and a great psychiatrist-we manage the medications of over 2000 hardcore psych patients. Probably 99.5% are Medicaid, and 70% are on SSI, or SSDI. Lots of schizophrenia, schizoaffective d/o, bipolar d/o, and BORDERLINES! I have never had any issues in over 30 years of psych experience (other than the occasion threat to my life, violent patient on the unit, etc...), and keep working at the clinic, as I feel that I am helping those most in need.

Well anyway, about a month ago, I saw a older female patient (older than me), and our session went fine. I have seen her for over six years. She is a borderline "deluxe model", and also has periods of paranoia and delusional thinking. None the less, about one week after our last session, I get this "crazy" letter at work from her, which rambled on about nothing. Real weird, indeed. I have gotten this type letter before, so I just read it, and held onto it, which was a smart move.

Anyway, out of the clear blue, several weeks ago, I get this call from HR, who tells me that this patient has filed a sexual harassment complaint against me. She alleged that during our session, I tried to engage in sexual activity with her, right there in the office, w/ people all around the clinic. HR showed me absolutely no mercy. Honestly, you would have thought I had been charged w/ murder, for how I was treated.

I was told that I was suspended, was NOT to have any contact with anybody in the clinic until their "investigation" was over, and I was to not get near the facility. I was not given any rights, and I couldn't call anybody, to at least vent my feelings and shock, over such a crazy accusation. Plus my suspension was w/o pay.

Well, they conducted their "investigation", and I was recently notified that I was cleared. No apologies, no nothing. I asked the HR person, "Do you know what you just put me through for over one week?" (depressed, angry, unable to sleep), and this person said "no"--just like it was no big deal. I asked this person, "What if I had a wife and three young children at home?). No sympathy, nothing.

I am going back to work this week, but I am scared to death now to be in an office, alone w/ a female patient. Psych is different than IM or FP, where a medical assistant can come in during an exam, as a chaperon. I was tempted to retire, and be done w/ it, but I am going back w/ utmost fear of this happening again. Bottom line is, what is a male provider to do? You certainly can't put a camera in there? HIPPA laws will burn you big time!

Despite her severe mental illness, I would have never expected this patient to do what she did. So please help me figure out a way to keep safe from this happening to me, or even you. If you have an answer, please post it!

And BTW, for all you MD Psych Residents, I agree with much of what has been written about NP's. Many, who had years of hospital RN work before becoming Psych NP's are very good. Those who get their certifications, with much of it on-line are horrible and even dangerous. I worked nearly 20 years in every type of psych environment there is prior to becoming an NP, and learned a lot from good MD's, and learned what not to do, from bad MD's. All NP's should have 4-5 years hospital experience, before being allowed to become NP's, and treat patients, unsupervised.

And finally, I have seen posts about what NP's make. Here in the midwest, A new NP will start in the $50-60 dollar per hour range, and a real experienced one, might make $100. In areas where there isn't a psychiatrist within 50 miles, and complete independent practice is allowed for the NP, he or she might make $125-$150 per hour.

I do believe that the people who run health care today are trying to replace as many MD's as possible (FP, IM, peds, psych)--purely for $$ reasons. Heck, a few months ago I had a kidney stone, and the first person to see me at the urologist office was an NP.... Still, a good psychiatrist will always have a path for a great/successful career, no matter what happens w/ NP's!
ohhh the privilege of being a man. I'm very sorry to hear that this happened to you. Its so wrong that her word will always count more than yours becuase you are a guy. Its also horrible that you didn't get compensated for your time (to say nothing of the emotional damage it inflicted upon you)! Its very difficult to prove the negative, aka how do you provide evidence for something that never happened? You're presumed guilty because you can't prove your innocence and on a related note seems to be a problem at universities with title IX cases. Basically what you described, except there's no legal recourse for the accused since its not a 'legal' charge and the standard for guilt is much lower than what's expected in a court of law to prove guilt. It seems even the defendants who provide substantial proof of innocence still get burned, its truly terrible.

In general if you dig you can find countless cases of false accusations. No need to watch or read the links below, but I figured I'd provide it if it would at all would bring you comfort and give you something to relate to. Unfortunately, I think it happens more than people will admit. A simple google search of this stuff will horrify anyone who cares to look.





Women ADMIT To Making Up Me Too Allegation In Order To WIN Competition
Man wrongly accused of rape speaks out one year later

 
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ohhh the privilege of being a man. I'm very sorry to hear that this happened to you. Its so wrong that her word will always count more than yours becuase you are a guy.
But he was cleared, so her word didn't count more, right?
 
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But he was cleared, so her word didn't count more, right?
This is true. I had meant that as a general rule though, I should have been more clear. Some of the abuses of the metoo movement and make it more clear. Maybe I am reading into this too much, but wolfgang above mentioned specifically female NP as a witness protecting him. For whatever reason (and potentially erroneous reason on my part), having a female witness is more valuable than a male witness. FWIW, I recall having a conversation with a colleague who scoffed at the idea of having a male witness.

I think someone has an axe to grind on this topic. If you'll notice all of the links are about false accusations that ruin people's lives
See above. I will assume you did not read the post, I explicitly stated it was provided to give OP something to relate to and was a simple google/youtube search. More than half the stories are from the same YT channel.
Respectfully,, you dismissing this as 'just an axe to grind' perpetuates this problem and buries it.
 
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FYI folks:

1. "Deluxe Model" = very severe borderline (many suicide attempts, long hx of drug abuse, many psych hospitalizations)

2. I did get an attorney, who wrote them immediately. I do believe that this helped. Didn't go beyond a letter to them, but we were prepared to go to court for an injunction.

Hope this helps.
 
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Unfortunately, it is a tough environment nowadays. Too many false claims in this era. We go through stressful life because of this crap
 
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1. "Deluxe Model" = very severe borderline (many suicide attempts, long hx of drug abuse, many psych hospitalizations)

So why not just say "very severe borderline"?

Also, all of this could, theoretically, happen to a female provider too.

One (female!) provider's solution (preemptive or reactive, I'm not sure) was to have a camera in her office that just filmed *her* (the provider), and without sound, to avoid HIPAA violations.
 
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So why not just say "very severe borderline"?

Also, all of this could, theoretically, happen to a female provider too.

One (female!) provider's solution (preemptive or reactive, I'm not sure) was to have a camera in her office that just filmed *her* (the provider), and without sound, to avoid HIPAA violations.
That term “deluxe model borderline”, I actually heard many years ago from a very likable, well regarded psychiatrist I worked with in the hospital. I find it kind of humorous, but at the same time very telling/descriptive. Not a term suggesting disdain of any kind.

I do like your idea about the camera just on the provider.
 
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That term “deluxe model borderline”, I actually heard many years ago from a very likable, well regarded psychiatrist I worked with in the hospital. I find it kind of humorous, but at the same time very telling/descriptive. Not a term suggesting disdain of any kind.
Not a term suggesting sustain? Come on.
 
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Not a term suggesting sustain? Come on.

People need to give the guy a break and stop pretending they don’t have negative countertransference towards very difficult patients themselves. Here’s a guy who’s seen this probably very very difficult patient for years in a CMHC setting, stuck it out with her this whole time and the thanks he gets is being falsely accused of sexually assaulting her and crapping his pants for a week wondering if he was going to lose his job (and maybe ever work again If that was on his record from his previous employer).

I have the feeling most people would be saying worse things than “deluxe model borderline”.
 
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People need to give the guy a break and stop pretending they don’t have negative countertransference towards very difficult patients themselves. Here’s a guy who’s seen this probably very very difficult patient for years in a CMHC setting, stuck it out with her this whole time and the thanks he gets is being falsely accused of sexually assaulting her and crapping his pants for a week wondering if he was going to lose his job (and maybe ever work again If that was on his record from his previous employer).

One can have countertransference towards a patient and not post about it using shaming language on a public forum. Struggling with a patient? Seek supervision.
 
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Also, all of this could, theoretically, happen to a female provider too.

If a male patient accused a female provider, do you think HR would suspend her without pay? I highly doubt it.

One (female!) provider's solution (preemptive or reactive, I'm not sure) was to have a camera in her office that just filmed *her* (the provider), and without sound, to avoid HIPAA violations

This is the best solution I have heard so far. Thanks!
 
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One can have countertransference towards a patient and not post about it using shaming language on a public forum. Struggling with a patient? Seek supervision.

Uh yeah big difference between “struggling with a patient” and “have patient falsely accuse you of sexual assault”.
 
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I don't think I could return to work at a place like this. There is certainly the problem with the false accusation, but how HR handles such an accusation is so important. It absolutely has to be done in a calm and supportive manner.
 
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That term “deluxe model borderline”, I actually heard many years ago from a very likable, well regarded psychiatrist I worked with in the hospital. I find it kind of humorous, but at the same time very telling/descriptive. Not a term suggesting disdain of any kind.

I do like your idea about the camera just on the provider.
I mean it's not the worst thing in the world, but it's also dehumanizing in that deluxe model usually refers to an object like a car or food item. That's the whole idea behind person-first language—to avoid reducing people to one concept or limitation. It's also a way of coping I believe when people feel frustration that neither they nor the pateint have been successful in fixing a problem, so there's this idea that there are just certain people of the world who are unredeemable and the agency for that is cast entirely onto them with some label. Like some Christian sects have the serpent seed spawn, India had the untouchables, Scientologists have SPs, etc. It seems like it wasn't until more recently that psychiatrists and patients would even openly use the term borderline as a diagnosis that could be constructive. It was like an epithet and if you called someone that you were saying they were hopeless. I can remember reading people say they wouldn't tell a person with borderline personality disorder they had it because they wouldn't be able to take it in and would deflect. It seems to have been accepted rather quickly, and the idea of the patient with BPD seems to have changed. Maybe that's why the qualifier that sounds somewhat degrading is necessary to call back to an earlier understood meaning of the diagnosis.
 
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Uh yeah big difference between “struggling with a patient” and “have patient falsely accuse you of sexual assault”.

Not really. There is still absolutely no reason to further dehumanize or stigmatize a person (or group of people) in either scenario. What purpose does it continue to serve? Do you think this attitude allows one to continue to care for folks with a dx or borderline personality d/o in a safe and effective manner, for either person?
 
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You might chalk this up to some kind of systems level issue, but IMO this is the kind of case that should be reviewed.

False accusations of sexual impropriety is rare but not unheard of. False and inappropriate complaints in general is NOT rare in psychiatry. I suspect many NPs are poorly trained to deal with transference countertransference issues. These are essentially M&M topics in psychiatry.
 
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Now come on folks. You just go through the hardest/worst week of your life, all for nothing, and let's see how charitable you would be. In my career, I have heard RN's, MD's, NP's refer to people as, "that nutcase; creepy; crazy; among other things..... you just let it roll.... I work in the inner city because I want to help those who most private psychiatrists won't see. I have spent more than half my NP career working in the inner city.

No school can prepare you for this sort of thing. I nearly get my life turned upside down, and guess what they did with her.... NOTHING! She is still a patient in "good standing". I am going back, but w/ many reservations. HR truly disappointed me in how they could treat a reliable (used only 2 sick days in 6 years), never a complaint, experienced provider.

Finally, I have read that in some cases nationwide, if it comes down to a "he said-she said".... HR will terminate the accused, just to protect themselves. Imagine trying to find a job after you just have been terminated for sexual harassment. You will end up a destroyed person, that nobody will touch. Sad, but true. I hope it never happens to any of you.
 
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Scary stuff. I am in a community setting and see all patients with my office door open to the common hall
 
Now come on folks. You just go through the hardest/worst week of your life, all for nothing, and let's see how charitable you would be. In my career, I have heard RN's, MD's, NP's refer to people as, "that nutcase; creepy; crazy; among other things..... you just let it roll.... I work in the inner city because I want to help those who most private psychiatrists won't see. I have spent more than half my NP career working in the inner city.

No school can prepare you for this sort of thing. I nearly get my life turned upside down, and guess what they did with her.... NOTHING! She is still a patient in "good standing". I am going back, but w/ many reservations. HR truly disappointed me in how they could treat a reliable (used only 2 sick days in 6 years), never a complaint, experienced provider.

Finally, I have read that in some cases nationwide, if it comes down to a "he said-she said".... HR will terminate the accused, just to protect themselves. Imagine trying to find a job after you just have been terminated for sexual harassment. You will end up a destroyed person, that nobody will touch. Sad, but true. I hope it never happens to any of you.

This is not the point. In particular, in psychiatry, this is a very technical area. In BPD patients, that's even more technical. It often occurs when people are practicing good medicine that bad outcomes still occur, but this sort of thing in and of itself is a bad outcome, and should be viewed as such. Yes, you shouldn't internalize this on an emotional level, but it should absolutely be examined on a technical level--what did or did not conform to Good Psychiatric Management? Was the documentation of paranoia, etc complete?

A patient carrying an existing diagnosis of BPD with active para-psychotic delusions of erotomania lodged a complaint to HR for sexual harassment, it's very easy to clear this up. Was there something else missing in this case?

Scary stuff. I am in a community setting and see all patients with my office door open to the common hall

If you are scared of bad countertransference you shouldn't go into psychiatry. That's like saying a surgeon being scared of post-op sepsis. If you are practicing good medicine you should always be able to prepare yourself with full conscience at any review that you were carrying out the right treatment.
 
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This is not the point. In particular, in psychiatry, this is a very technical area. In BPD patients, that's even more technical. It often occurs when people are practicing good medicine that bad outcomes still occur, but this sort of thing in and of itself is a bad outcome, and should be viewed as such. Yes, you shouldn't internalize this on an emotional level, but it should absolutely be examined on a technical level--what did or did not conform to Good Psychiatric Management? Was the documentation of paranoia, etc complete?

A patient carrying an existing diagnosis of BPD with active para-psychotic delusions of erotomania lodged a complaint to HR for sexual harassment, it's very easy to clear this up. Was there something else missing in this case?



If you are scared of bad countertransference you shouldn't go into psychiatry. That's like saying a surgeon being scared of post-op sepsis. If you are practicing good medicine you should always be able to prepare yourself with full conscience at any review that you were carrying out the right treatment.

I see patients with significant violence histories including murder, rape, armed assaults etc. I am also female if that matters.
 
One (female!) provider's solution (preemptive or reactive, I'm not sure) was to have a camera in her office that just filmed *her* (the provider), and without sound, to avoid HIPAA violations.

I like this idea too, but not sure this would have helped in this scenario. It sounds like the OP was accused of propositioning a patient (which wouldn’t necessarily look any different than normal patient interaction on a soundless video).
 
You have been harmed by this investigation (loss of a week’s salary plus intense emotional distress). Therefore, you are legally entitled to compensation for your losses. You should sue for this compensation plus payment of your legal fees. To do otherwise is to reinforce the disgusting behavior of your employer.
 
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You have been harmed by this investigation (loss of a week’s salary plus intense emotional distress). Therefore, you are legally entitled to compensation for your losses. You should sue for this compensation plus payment of your legal fees. To do otherwise is to reinforce the disgusting behavior of your employer.

I was especially mad at the HR guy, for being so insensitive and demeaning to me. Trust me, I thought about legal recourse, but at this point, I am going to just "let sleeping dogs lay"..... I just want it all behind me, and hope it never happens again.
 
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A patient carrying an existing diagnosis of BPD with active para-psychotic delusions of erotomania lodged a complaint to HR for sexual harassment, it's very easy to clear this up. Was there something else missing in this case?

Where did he say she had delusions of erotomania?
 
I see patients with significant violence histories including murder, rape, armed assaults etc. I am also female if that matters.

Oh I see. That's a separate issue. Yes, of course if you work with a forensic population you are 100% be entitled to feel scared. That said, this is not what I am talking about. This is actually a different practice area--i.e. there are a different set of technical issues in forensic psychiatry in how to managing countertransference for that specific group. If you don't feel comfortable with that population, it's best to seek supervision and to develop better technical solutions. Opening the door is a very valid technical solution, but there are many others.

Where did he say she had delusions of erotomania?

Maybe she did. Maybe she didn't. My entire point is that this case sounds like something that's "common sense", but the reality is that it's a very technical and challenging issue, and requires specific technical training. People who don't have this kind of training invariably make unforced errors in evaluation, documentation, treatment, the whole process. Primary care doctors often don't do a good job managing these cases and get into trouble. And here we have an NP who doesn't have the appropriate training and supervision and got hurt in the process. The system, of course, isn't blameless, but at the end of the day it's not just a matter of "false sexual harassment--male psychiatrist aware".
 
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Oh I see. That's a separate issue. Yes, of course if you work with a forensic population you are 100% be entitled to feel scared. That said, this is not what I am talking about. This is actually a different practice area--i.e. there are a different set of technical issues in forensic psychiatry in how to managing countertransference for that specific group. If you don't feel comfortable with that population, it's best to seek supervision and to develop better technical solutions. Opening the door is a very valid technical solution, but there are many others.



Maybe she did. Maybe she didn't. My entire point is that this case sounds like something that's "common sense", but the reality is that it's a very technical and challenging issue, and requires specific technical training. People who don't have this kind of training invariably make unforced errors in evaluation, documentation, treatment, the whole process. Primary care doctors often don't do a good job managing these cases and get into trouble. And here we have an NP who doesn't have the appropriate training and supervision and got hurt in the process.
I don't think any amount of training can fully protect you from someone who really wants to make a false allegation. This happens to psychiatrists, too, all the time and has nothing to do with being an NP. It's just like no amount of training can completely prevent physical assaults. I don't see how a lack of training led to OPs problem.
 
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In this era, every speciality gets accused. I don’t see a psychiatrist immune from getting accused. Training does help without a doubt but there are things that will just happen to you even if you are very well trained. Medicine has it’s good days, as well as the bad ones. The unfair bad days, which does include false accusations, definitely plays a significant role in burnout.
 
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I don't think any amount of training can fully protect you from someone who really wants to make a false allegation. This happens to psychiatrists, too, all the time and has nothing to do with being an NP. It's just like no amount of training can completely prevent physical assaults. I don't see how a lack of training led to OPs problem.

I agree. That comment makes no sense. Being an NP had nothing to do with this and I think that trying to boil it down to that is completely oversimplifying this problem, which is ironic since sluox is making a point to make this sound quite complicated.

Documenting things correctly has nothing to do with this. You can document out the butt and still have what happened to the OP happen. HRs stance is going to be that paranoid people can still get sexually assaulted...which is true. In fact, one could argue that patients with more severe mental illness are more vulnerable to sexual assault on a population level.
 
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FYI folks:

1. "Deluxe Model" = very severe borderline (many suicide attempts, long hx of drug abuse, many psych hospitalizations)

So just say that.

If a male patient accused a female provider, do you think HR would suspend her without pay? I highly doubt it

Yes, I do actually. I can't point to a sexual harassment claim against a female provider, but I can point to female providers being accused of abuse or mistreatment and being suspended pending investigation.

I'm sorry this happened to you, OP. For too long these types of things WERE happening and no one was talking about it. I think it's good that every complaint is investigated and it makes sense that you not be allowed to provide care until the investigation is over. But they should have paid you (and still should, retroactively).
 
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A patient carrying an existing diagnosis of BPD with active para-psychotic delusions of erotomania lodged a complaint to HR for sexual harassment, it's very easy to clear this up. Was there something else missing in this case?

Because BPD patients with active para-psychotic delusions of erotomania can't possibly be victims of sexual harassment? I'd argue that would actually make them the most vulnerable and most targeted victim of a provider who was going to harass patients.

You have been harmed by this investigation (loss of a week’s salary plus intense emotional distress). Therefore, you are legally entitled to compensation for your losses. You should sue for this compensation plus payment of your legal fees. To do otherwise is to reinforce the disgusting behavior of your employer.

So what was the alternative? I'm curious. If you were management, what would you do when a patient says to you that he/she was sexually harassed? Not do an investigation? Allow the accused provider to continue providing care while you investigate? If the person really is guilty, he/she has the ability to (a) do it again or (b) manipulate staff to lie on his/her behalf or (c) attempt to intimidate the victim into retracting the accusation.

So what would you do? I think the only thing they did wrong here is not paying the OP for the week of suspension (and calling it a "suspension").
 
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Because BPD patients with active para-psychotic delusions of erotomania can't possibly be victims of sexual harassment? I'd argue that would actually make them the most vulnerable and most targeted victim of a provider who was going to harass patients.

So what was the alternative? I'm curious. If you were management, what would you do when a patient says to you that he/she was sexually harassed? Not do an investigation? Allow the accused provider to continue providing care while you investigate? If the person really is guilty, he/she has the ability to (a) do it again or (b) manipulate staff to lie on his/her behalf or (c) attempt to intimidate the victim into retracting the accusation.

So what would you do? I think the only thing they did wrong here is not paying the OP for the week of suspension (and calling it a "suspension").

I guess you are right. At the end of the day this is a his word against her word situation. OTOH, I'll bet people who specialize in this kind of population do a better job in things like limit setting, GPM, team-based management, etc.

Complaints of sexual harassment must be investigated and dealt with using the existing policy. What I'm trying to say is good training PREVENTS complaints of this type, and when they do occur, provide a matrix to either verify it or dispell it quickly.

Sure, no training can fully prevent bad outcomes, but not learning from bad outcomes is not a productive way to deal with it either. Just like with physical assault: sure, no training can FULLY prevent you from getting assaulted, but getting trained is wayyyyyy better than not getting trained. Are you joking?
 
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I was especially mad at the HR guy, for being so insensitive and demeaning to me. Trust me, I thought about legal recourse, but at this point, I am going to just "let sleeping dogs lay"..... I just want it all behind me, and hope it never happens again.

So basically HR gets to do things in a crappy way and there's zero action taken to change what they're doing.

How long till this happens again to you or a coworker?
 
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So basically HR gets to do things in a crappy way and there's zero action taken to change what they're doing.

How long till this happens again to you or a coworker?

What would you change about how they handled it?
 
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Yes, I do actually. I can't point to a sexual harassment claim against a female provider, but I can point to female providers being accused of abuse or mistreatment and being suspended pending investigation.

This thread is specifically about claims of sexual harassment. Our small sample size from people who shared about their experience showed that it is men who gets accused. If you look at #metoo scandals, it is men who gets accused. For rape accusations in colleges, overwhelming it is men who gets accused.
 
For rape accusations in colleges, overwhelming it is men who gets accused.

That could be because factually speaking women don't rape as often as men do. As for sexual harassment, I actually haven't looked at the numbers, but I believe men are usually the harasser there too. That's why that movie Disclosure opened the dialogue about female-on-male harassment.
 
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So what was the alternative? I'm curious. If you were management, what would you do when a patient says to you that he/she was sexually harassed? Not do an investigation? Allow the accused provider to continue providing care while you investigate? If the person really is guilty, he/she has the ability to (a) do it again or (b) manipulate staff to lie on his/her behalf or (c) attempt to intimidate the victim into retracting the accusation.

So what would you do? I think the only thing they did wrong here is not paying the OP for the week of suspension (and calling it a "suspension").

You agree with most of my point by acknowledging that 1) OP’s employer should have paid him and 2) they should not have labeled the time off as “suspension”. Those are 2 HUGE mistakes.

I also believe in the philosophy of innocent until proven guilty, especially when the accusation comes from a person with VERY questionable credibility.

If OP had no history of such accusations AND the borderline patient had 1) a history of false accusations, as a large minority of such patients do, in my experience or 2) a history of manipulation/deception in general, as a much larger fraction of cluster B’s have than the general population, then the probability that OP actually did anything wrong is certainly low enough that he should have been allowed to work while an investigation took place. If the organization wanted to be especially careful they could have opted to monitor the OP closer than usual until the completion of the investigation. The fact that you are minimizing the OP’s suffering by using the word “only” to qualify what his employer did shows a clear bias on your part.
 
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If a male patient accused a female provider, do you think HR would suspend her without pay? I highly doubt it.

There may be a policy that if there's an accusation of sexual harassment, the accused is suspended without pay, regardless of who they are or their gender. Granted, that would be a fairly ****ty policy, but it could exist.

Maybe she did. Maybe she didn't. My entire point is that this case sounds like something that's "common sense", but the reality is that it's a very technical and challenging issue, and requires specific technical training. People who don't have this kind of training invariably make unforced errors in evaluation, documentation, treatment, the whole process. Primary care doctors often don't do a good job managing these cases and get into trouble. And here we have an NP who doesn't have the appropriate training and supervision and got hurt in the process. The system, of course, isn't blameless, but at the end of the day it's not just a matter of "false sexual harassment--male psychiatrist aware".
OP may not have gone through residency, but he worked for many years in all kinds of psychiatric settings, and I would guess did a lot of reading, studying, and conversing with other providers about tough issues. Every year of such psychiatric practice can be considered training. It's also quite possible that his medical documentation about her mental status was subject to investigation, and that's part of the reason he got cleared.

OP, I am sorry this happened to you. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? I am also disappointed that the patient is still "in good standing." She shouldn't necessarily be refused services, but this incident should be clearly noted somewhere in her clinical and administrative record. Needless to say, you should never be her provider again, and anyone who takes over prescribing for her should be aware of this so they can be careful. If she ever accuses anyone again, info about the past false complaint should be clearly accessible. In fact, I think NO provider in your institution should ever see her 1:1 in the future.

I would not look for another job right now if I were you because you could be asked, upon getting hired at a new place, whether you've ever been subject to an investigation. Though I'm not sure - maybe an internal HR investigation does not count. I'd find out.

I would maybe ask for a formal letter of apology (via your lawyer). My fantasy, if I were in your shoes, would also be to sue the patient for defamation or something, but the trouble with that is, maybe she really did believe that what she accused him of was true, AND she probably doesn't have any money if she's part of an underserved population AND you don't want to further get on her bad side.

That said, there should be more recourses for people who get falsely accused, and more consequences for people who make false accusations. It's a crime to lie to law enforcement, to the court, etc., so why should it be ok to make false allegations that could get someone in trouble to any other power structure? I wish state medical associations did more to protect providers from false patient complaints and lawsuits. On face, providers have more power because they have the prescription pad and the fancy license and degree, but in reality, they are everybody's b!tch. I'm barely out of residency and I'm tired of it. Sorry, that turned into a personal soapbox.
 
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Of course HR doesn't care, they will never put your well being over the facilities

Shore up your documentation, request a second person in the room with certain patients.

Or find a different job, screen your patients hard and see a census of worried well

Or do telepsychiatry

I wouldn't return to a setting like that, but mainly because I can easily find a job elsewhere and due to psychiatry demand I can demand some respect.
 
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You agree with most of my point by acknowledging that 1) OP’s employer should have paid him and 2) they should not have labeled the time off as “suspension”. Those are 2 HUGE mistakes.

I also believe in the philosophy of innocent until proven guilty, especially when the accusation comes from a person with VERY questionable credibility.

If OP had no history of such accusations AND the borderline patient had 1) a history of false accusations, as a large minority of such patients do, in my experience or 2) a history of manipulation/deception in general, as a much larger fraction of cluster B’s have than the general population, then the probability that OP actually did anything wrong is certainly low enough that he should have been allowed to work while an investigation took place. If the organization wanted to be especially careful they could have opted to monitor the OP closer than usual until the completion of the investigation. The fact that you are minimizing the OP’s suffering by using the word “only” to qualify what his employer did shows a clear bias on your part.

No bias whatsoever. I just live in the real world, where sometimes people are guilty and allowing them to work while you investigate means putting others at risk when you could just as easily send them home for a week while you investigate. Again, the poster should have been paid. But having been paid, he absolutely should be sent home for a week. It's called administrative leave and it's a thing in every industry in which one serves others. It's what law enforcement does. It's what the education system does. It works and frankly, I would much rather send home an innocent man (or woman) with a week's pay than have a guilty man (or woman) continue to work putting patients at risk.
 
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