And Further: Psychiatrists Are Nuts

Also from yesterday's newspaper reading:

L.A. psychiatrist accused of improper relations with two patients

December 10, 2009 | 10:01 am
A Los Angeles psychiatrist has agreed to have his medical license placed on probation after a state agency accused him of having controlling and improper relationships with two adult patients, a brother and sister.

We suppose this may be another reason the dead-tree media are following the trees to oblivion: Note the date above, as stolen from the Times website. Yet it wasn't printed in the paper version until 17 December.

More juicy:

Dr. Norman J. Lachman, 68, of Los Angeles, was alleged to have struck and humiliated the brother -- including forcing the man to buy dog food, which the doctor threatened to make him eat.

In addition, the board alleged that Lachman had “very discomforting” sessions with the sister, telling her she was a “hot tamale” and instructing her to stop attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings even though she had a drinking problem.

[...]

The agency alleged that in sessions at Lachman’s home between 2000 and 2004, Lachman struck the brother in the stomach, chest and legs with a cane, used his hand to strike the man in his testicles and called him stupid and crazy.

The accusation also detailed Lachman’s alleged efforts to insult and humiliate his patient: referring to him by a girl’s name, asking him to send photos of his girlfriends nude for Lachman to keep and making sexual innuendoes about his sister, among others.