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Hurt that doesnt heal
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta's leading newspaper)
Posted: October 8th, 2018
http://doctors.ajc.com/patient_stories_sexual_abuse_doctors/
Doctors are supposed to touch during an exam, but not fondle. Psychiatrists should listen to a patients darkest secrets, but never parlay the intimacy into a kiss. Anesthesiologists put patients under for surgery, but shouldnt have their way with them. When physicians barge through the sacred boundaries of the doctor-patient relationship, the damage to patients can last for years if not forever. Frequently, patients who are abused start to avoid doctors altogether. Some resort to seeing only female doctors. Many cant get help because they cant get comfortable with a therapist. Making matters worse, victims often arent believed if they do report a doctor, or the complaint is brushed off to preserve the physicians career. That response, some experts say, can be as damaging as the sexual violation. First theres the betrayal by the actual predator himself. Then there is the betrayal by the colleagues and supervisors, said David Clohessy, the executive director of SNAP, a support and advocacy organization for people sexually abused by clergy, doctors, therapists and others. Youve got people who are deeply wounded in the first place by a predator, and they turn to the appropriate officials for help and they get ignored at best or rebuffed and attacked at worst. Many patients keep silent for fear they wont be believed. Thats one reason no one knows the pervasiveness of physician sexual misconduct.
Note: The above article details the stories of five abuse victims. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on sexual abuse by medical professionals.
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