Psychiatrist To Be Sentenced For Sexual Assault

A psychiatrist, who was found guilty of three counts of indecent or sexual assault involving female patients over several years, will be in court in Penticton British Columbia on January 20 to be sentenced for his crimes. (Court case # 31377)

Larry Anderson was found guilty of the assaults involving the female patients by a jury trial on July 23, 2005.

According to evidence given during the trial, Dr. Anderson once put sexual instructions onto what a female patient thought was a prescription for anti-depressant drugs. Instead of a renewal of a prescription for her continued depression, Anderson handed her something completely unexpected. (The prescription read: Take one erection and put it in an appropriate space. Do what is needed to obtain satisfaction.)

Brian Beaumont, spokesperson for the British Columbia chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a psychiatric watchdog group said, “Psychiatric sexual assault is a very common occurrence over the world, but all too often the perpetrator is only slapped on the wrist by being given a fine or suspension from practice for these criminal activities.

Studies show that between 6% and 13% of psychiatrists and psychologists sexually abuse their patients and, according to one American Journal of Psychiatry study, 80% of psychiatrists reporting sexual contact did so with an average of six patients.

More than 20 psychiatrists have lost their license to practice or have been criminally charged worldwide for sexual related incidents in just the past 6 months making it a case of almost one psychiatrist sexually or indecently assaulting a female patient every week. And those are the known cases.

According to another 2001 study, "Sex Between Therapists and Clients," by Kenneth Pope, a former head of the ethics committee for the American Psychological Association, 1 out of 20 clients who had been sexually abused by their therapist was a minor, the average age being 7 for girls and 12 for boys. The youngest child was 3.

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights was established by the Church of Scientology to investigate and expose psychiatric violations of human rights.

If you know anyone, including a child, who has been abused or harmed by a psychiatrist, please call The Citizens Commission on Human Rights at 1 800 670 2247. Complete confidentiality is assured.