Citation

Pathé MT, Meloy JR. J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law 2013; 41(2): 200-205.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Publisher American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Stalking is a thriving social and criminal concern and a risk inherent in our personal and professional lives. Health care professionals, particularly psychiatrists and other mental health practitioners, are vulnerable to being stalked by their patients and, far from providing helpful insights that discourage the behavior, their training can be a hindrance. Neither a psychiatrist's gender nor seniority confers protection from the protracted vengeance or infatuation of a patient-turned-stalker, any more than does working through the transference and soldiering on. The ensuing social, psychological, and vocational damage can, however, be minimized through early recognition, informed advice, and the support, not censure, of our colleagues.

Language: en