Sexual Boundaries: The Conduct, the Code and the Consequences By Lee H. Beecher, M.D. and Steven I. Altchuler, Ph.D., M.D.

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Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Christina Rich, J.D., legal counsel for the Minnesota Medical Association, and Monica Feider, M.S.W., LICSW, HPSP Program Manager for their help in preparing this article.

Lee H. Beecher, M.D. is a psychiatrist in private practice in St. Louis Park, president of the Minnesota Physician-Patient Alliance, and a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. Steven I. Altchuler, M.D., Ph. D. is co-chair of the Division of Tertiary Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and serves as vice president of the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice.

Footnotes

1. Gartrell ND, Milliken N, Goodson WH, Thiemann S, Physician-patient sexual contact: prevalence and problems. West J Med 1992;157:139-143.
2. Simon RI. Therapist-patient sex. From boundary violations to sexual misconduct. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1999;22:31-47.
3. Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. Report to the Minnesota Medical Association House of Delegates, September 2004
4. Beecher LH. Doctor-patient boundaries: road rules and red flags. Minn Healthcare News. 2005l3(2):28-30.
5. Carr GD. Professional sexual misconduct—an overview. J Miss State Med Assoc. 2003;44(9):283-300.5.
6. Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 147. Physician Practice Act.
7. Gutheil TG, Gabbard GO. Obstacles to the dynamic understanding of therapist-patient sexual relations. Am J Psychother. 1992;46(4):515-25 (1992).
8. Roberts K, Specker S. The health professional services program: an alternative for physicians with psychiatric disorders. Minn Med. 1999;82(10):54-6.

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