http://www.annalsofpsychotherapy.com/articles/spring08.php?topic=article14
By Dr. Robert O’Block
[Update: That article now appears to be offline, but appears to have been copied at this location:
The article speaks at length about the ayres case, and provides a pretty cohesive summary of the details of the case. Of interest specifically are comments about how ayres’ “controlling and vindictive… [] … hidden traits became public.”
Just go read it for yourself. It’s very well written.
At the moment, because I’ve been thinking about shrinks in general a lot lately, I’m mostly interested in some of the statistical information presented in this article, which unfortunately parallels my general thinking on the subject.
Some specific points pulled directly from the article (Paraphrased):
1. Of the practitioners accused of sexual misconduct, 97% are males ranging in age from 22 to 82, mean age of 53, and mean of 25 years in practice.
My comments:
This data counters the claim that ayres is no longer a risk because he’s “old,” which apparently was one of the arguments used when reducing his bail, along with the idea that he won’t offend any more because he’s not practicing any more, and that’s his modus operandi. (Who defined THAT as his MO?? If you ask me, the MO in this case is acting on homosexual interest in underage boys… getting paid by parents to have easy access and a good cover story, and having county and court officials select victims who won't be believed if they report are just added bonus... not MO. )
Criminy... it’s like saying that since he's no longer practicing, it’s not possible for the pervert to just trade child porn with buddies or go to downtown SF and pick up underage male prostitutes, pretty much with impunity, whenever he gets the urge. No! No chance he's still perpetrating! Good job protecting the population, judges! *golf clap*
2. Higher proportions of sexual misconduct reported for the following specialties: family practice, obstetrics/gynecology, and psychiatry. The AMA reports that in the psychiatric specialty between five and ten percent of psychiatrists have had sexual contact with at least one patient, based on self-reporting studies.
My comments:
Okay! So: If you mistakenly decide that a shrink is the way to fix whatever thing you think a shrink knows how to fix, odds are fairly good that you’ll pick one who is really only planning to take advantage of your state of mind to USE YOU to get off to whatever bizarre sexual peccadilloes got them interested in psychology to begin with. (ref: Ted Bundy)
Maybe they won’t abuse your trust right away. Maybe they’ll wait until you’re really dependent on them for your mental health, and then they’ll really give you a good mind fuck.
Ever been robbed? Something minor...? Like maybe someone took some cash or a trinket while you weren’t looking? Remember how violated you felt? Well this is a whole lot worse; and it has the added benefit of lingering and festering for a good long time.
This is my advice to people who have children, and who think that their children could benefit from psychotherapy: Don't.
If the shrink is one of these 10%, and they do it to your kid, it will be something that they get to live with forever, warping the way they are able to trust other human beings, warping their self-confidence, warping their self worth; very deeply warping the very way that they perceive the world every day. Good luck fixing that.
What’s the answer if your child HAS to go to a shrink? I don’t know.
Probably start by eliminating male shrinks from your shopping list; that reduces the odds of abuse apparently; if you trust those statistics. Being upfront and very clear with the shrink about the corporal results they should anticipate for any perceived transgression is a good STARTING POINT.
I think at the very least insisting on audio/video recordings of all contact, or always being present is probably best. Good luck with that though. Shrinks will guilt you into feeling like you’re going to damage the “processes” by being present. Or they’ll tell you that you'd be violating patient confidentiality, or that maybe you’ll feel like retaliating for anything negative your child says, and you’re not smart enough to manage your feelings about what you hear… But ultimately they probably just like their privacy while they’re getting off.
So to be clear, if this article is correct about the AMA’s statistics, the odds that your shrink is sexually abusing someone are:
Better than the odds that you’ll win the lottery.
Better than the odds that you’ll be diagnosed with cancer this decade.
Better than the odds that you’ll get in a fender bender this year.
Better than the odds that you’ll win the door prize at your company picnic.
Better than the odds that you’ll get your neighbor’s mail in your mailbox today.
Better than the odds that you were planning to have pizza for dinner tonight.
Better think twice before going to see that shrink.
If you choose poorly and decide to go anyway, I hope he doesn't take a cotton to you.
I have a friend who has a 12 year old son who was having trouble at school. When the teacher suggested to my friend that he see the school's male therapist, my friend - who knows all about the Ayres case- said "My son's not going to see a male shrink" and sent him to a female one instead.
ReplyDeleteDear Deep Sounding,
ReplyDeleteIt's again O.K. for you to say "mind fuck". Dennis Leary's song asshole was removed. I am all for free speech and the the word doesn't offend me but I just don't see how as the moderator you get to be the one with strong opinions and all the free speech you want! You didn't want to offend Ayres or Jack Kirkpatrick. If you get offended you shouldn't blog or post where others can have an opinion. I don't "YELP" because they can wipe your post if someone complains. But it seems like you take editing rights after you wish someone dead! Just my opinion.
Welcome back, Anonymous; I thought you'd taken your marbles and gone home...
ReplyDeleteYour Comment:
But it seems like you take editing rights after you wish someone dead! Just my opinion
My Response:
Why DON’T we discuss your opinions: to me, you seem MOST offended by the fact that I suggested that some highly offensive people might want to “do us all a solid,” and go play on the train tracks. You’ve brought this up twice now, across two unrelated posts. I find this to be very curious, given the type of person who would most likely read and post on this blog. Surely, you’re not suggesting that WISHING someone was no longer alive and able to harm others is a more offensive than ACTUALLY maliciously abusing dozens or possibly hundreds of children?
Sounds like anonymous who posted the Denis Leary lyrics might know Dr. Ayres? Is this correct?
ReplyDeleteYeah I know about Dr. Ayres. But what I really work on and reserach is how the medical community especially in San Mateo protect their own. I just feel it is a double standard on ANY blog to edit what suits you. I got pissed off at deep sounding for feeling like he has the right to say whatever he wants and in a sense by not letting me call Dr. Ayres an asshole by virtue of published lyrics was his way of protecting Ayres! Victim protects, that was how I saw it. Personally I don't care if Ayres fries and Solveig takes SamTrans for the rest of her days but I object to the standards of editing. I like the Rip-Off Report better, run by a convicted felon who never removes a post. Moderators who filter essentially suppress things for thier own benefit, jut like the medical community did which allowed Ayres to continue for 40 years. No I am not a protector or defender of Ayres. I believe in free speech!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteYou make some good points. I have some points for you to consider as well:
In my response to you in my “A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. “ posting, I did explain my reason for pulling your lyric posting, and apologized for the offense if any. I was also clear that I didn’t have a problem with you posting those lyrics in dedication to ayres. You are being disingenuous, however, when you leave out the fact that you also insulted another poster who was also exercising their “free speech” on my blog. Personally I don’t like most of what that poster was saying. Angry debate is fine. Stirring up a potential flame war on MY blog without even the benefit of dropping one line of worthwhile “free speech” of your own is not fine. If you want to dedicate a song to ayres go for it, but at least add some commentary of your own. I was VERY clear about all of this in my reply to your first post, and you would have done well to have READ IT MORE CAREFULLY.
Second point:
In your first comment to me today, you said: “I just don't see how as the moderator you get to be the one with strong opinions and all the free speech you want!” You need to go look up the word “moderator.” Every definition of the word moderator implies some level of control over content: well, that’s exactly what I’ve done.
From your (limited, on-topic) comments I can’t tell if you’re more worked up because I’ve suggested that we’d be all be better off without ayres, or if your just someone who thinks that they have the right to say whatever they want wherever they want. I get that you think it’s nice for everyone to be able to say whatever they want, relevant or not, on topic or not… I’m not overly fond of that here. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to contribute. If you do, go ahead. You’ll find that mostly, I leave the discussion untouched.
You could start your OWN blog, and say what you’d like and “moderate” how you’d like. In fact, I’d encourage it, regardless of whether you decide to post YOUR OWN opinions here or not. It’s really very easy, and it’s free. You could even state that you disagree with my blog and that everyone should read your blog instead and provide a link. There’s a fairly good chance I’d even leave the comment and the link.
Third Point:
The topic of this posting is: shrinks and the likelihood that that they’re going to be sexually involved with their patients. Let’s stay on topic:
Why don't you tell us about what you mean when you say that what you "really work on and reserach is how the medical community especially in San Mateo protect their own." This is something that we've talked about here before, and any insight, especially as it relates to sexual abuse, would be very welcomed here.
To Anonymous who said:
ReplyDeleteBut what I really work on and research is how the medical community especially in San Mateo protect their own
***
I am curious as to whether you do this professionally. Or is it something you've learned from personal experience with doctors protecting Ayres?
Certainly we have seen evidence that the medical community in San Mateo has protected their own. Dr. Sam Leavitt protected Ayres when he changed the subject when the father of a victim asked him if it was normal for Ayres to be making his son strip and showing him anatomical drawings.
Dr. Ridlehuber and Ayres' other partners- who KNEW he was undressing kids for years - and were even contacted by the irate mother of a victim-- did not do anything. How on earth could they have thought it was normal for Ayres to be giving physical exams? None of the partners had been trained that way.
And a message to Solveig Ayres who posted under a pseudonym on a San Francisco Chronicle blog defending her husband's practice of giving physicals, in spite of the fact that the kids had just had physicals from their pediatricians. Solveig writes "Well, Ayres always said if you want something done right, do it yourself."
But Solveig: your husband has never been licensed as a pediatrician - ANYWHERE. He was NOT licensed to practice pediatrics in Massachusetts and he he has never been licensed to practice pediatrics in California.
If he wanted physicals to be done right, he would have sent the boys off to the pediatrician.
Solveig, why on earth would he think that he would have been better at physically examining kids than a licensed pediatrician??
Additionally, although Ayres told his colleagues that he was trained to give physicals to kids during psychiatric sessions at Judge Baker Guidance Center in Boston in the 60s, that is not true.
Judge Baker at the time had an on-site pediatrics unit.
All physical exams of kids were done by pediatricians and psychiatrists treated mind and behavioral problems. At NO TIME was there any crossover done.
Ayres did not receive any pediatric training at Judge Baker because he was a resident child PSYCHIATRIST.
One suspects that Ayres was getting off his jollies there at Judge Baker anyway by touching boys.(The boys had their sessions with psychiatrists in their bedrooms... Hmm) Maybe Ayres got caught and that's why he left. Maybe that's why he moved clear across the country to California.
There's a whole lot more that we don't know about in terms of who protected Ayres in San Mateo.
Some of us for one are very curious about Dr. Al Fricke's silence since Ayres has been arrested.
To Anonymous who had posted the lyrics to the Denis Leary song: I went and looked them up anyway. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI was just curious to know if you had ever crossed paths with the good doctor?
I am going to check out the Rip off Report now. Thanks for the tip.
"One suspects that Ayres was getting off his jollies there at Judge Baker anyway by touching boys.(The boys had their sessions with psychiatrists in their bedrooms... Hmm) "
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of a certain camp "counceler" namaed "Les" at my outdoor ed class at Camp Hammer. He would come into the cabins to give back rubs to all the boys.
Does this ever end? Why doesn't someone put their foot down?
That article was actually written by Dr. Bruce Gross who is on the faculty of the Keck School of Medicine of USC in Los Angeles. He teaches in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
ReplyDeleteHe's a forensic psychologist and a lawyer and has an MBA and -- unlike Dr. Ayres-- the author of many articles.
Dr. Bruce Gross is also a Fellow of the American College of Forensic Examiners (ACFEI) and is an executive advisory board member of the American Board of Forensic Examiners. Dr. Gross is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Examiners, the American Board of Forensic Medicine, and the American Board Psychological Specialties. He has been an ACFEI member since 1996 and is also a Diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association.
Dr. Ayres was too busy molesting boys and shopping for presents for his victims at Talbots - gifts that he used as bait - to write any scholarly articles.
ReplyDeleteAyres must have spent thousands on presents for those boys over the years. You'd think Solveig would have become suspicious about that. It's the first thing that most predators do - try to woo their victims with presents.
Dear Deep Sounding:
ReplyDeleteIt seems that every time someone disagrees with you. You get defensive. Yeah I get it. You want to talk about sexual abuse on this forum. From my perspective the case of Ayres has two points, the sexual abuse and the fact that it was covered up by the medical profession. The entire medical profession was an accessory to his crimes against children. So this case is at least different from other cases of sexual predators by the fact that he was a doctor.
I was the victim of a medical crime (not sexual abuse) and I too suffer all the ramifications every day of my life the same as a sexual abuse victim. When I refer to a medical crime, I am not talking about medical malpractice per se where there was an error. I had my medical records outright falsified right here in good ole San Mateo County about eight years ago. All the head honchos were notified. Medical Board of California, CEO Bob Merwin of Mills Peninsula Health Services, CEO Brian Roach, M.D. (Mills Peninsula Medical Group), San Mateo County Medical Association, JCAHO and on and on. I have stated it publicly, written about it, researched the ways in which the crime was perpetuated. I have used my name publicly and I have never been sued for defamation because I can prove that my medical records were falsified. I was a huge whistle blower. I don’t need any training on that.
The point I am trying to make to you is that the sexual abuse of Ayres victims was a breakdown that happens more than you will know to all patients by virtue of code white “doctors protecting doctors.”
In my case, I have a very rare genetic condition that also affects five family members and I was only diagnosed after I never gave up on telling doctor after doctor that my medical records were falsified. For many years no doctor even wrote what I said in my chart. Finally, one doctor came to the diagnosis and I realized I was mind fucked and he confirmed my records were falsified.
Ramifications of the falsification are that every one of my family members could have died of complications of surgery or the mere lack of diagnosis. Every day of my life I am thankful I didn’t give up and yet I have never in eight years been able to forgive or move on from the crime. I took the bullet of a surgical deformity and the falsified records so that my family can now be spared. I look at doctors as the scum of the earth and I question what they would they have done if their child or their family member would have died because of lies and cover-ups.
I see the honorable awards they accept and the political antics and shouts of patient quality and pay for performance they demand. Then I go to my private data base which I have access to because of where I work and I research each doctor and read their medical malpractice cases, divorce records, alcoholism treatment plans, court ordered psychiatric treatment and I see these glowing touched up photos of them in some flyer mailed to my house that we as patients of San Mateo County probably paid for by jacked up hospital costs and I want to scream! Patients run, save yourself. To me every doctor may as well be wearing a prison jumpsuit, they are all of the same cloth.
I am sure the victims of Ayres feel the same way about all his medical protectors.
Peer Review: Ayres had peer review. California law allows this to go on behind closed and very secretive doors and no evidence presented or testimony or witnesses are to be presented at any case as discovery.
San Mateo County Medical Association. Read the literature where they state they have a revered peer review board. But the fine print states they will not perform peer review if you have contacted an attorney or have filed a complaint with the Medical Board. Which means they never intend to take any action no matter what evidence you present to them.
Doctors have been blacklisted from the medical community when they complain about other doctors. Blacklisted, blackballed etc., so the doctors just look the other way. I don’t believe that Pierro Cerruti, Ronnie Sue Leith, Etta Bryant, Joanna Perry, or Howard Hoffman sat at the round table at 448 No. San Mateo Drive and believed Ayres, they made a choice not to do anything. I see the shame on some of their faces when I see them in restaurants or at the movies or behind the wheels of their cars.
So you can tell me to go blog somewhere else, pick up my marbles because this is the wrong forum. But I disagree. The case of Ayres has a lot to do with the entire medical profession and their lack of ethics in reporting criminal acts in medicine. His crimes were committed as a medical professional and he had glowing academics and he abused this power and every day another doctor does it because one more got away with it. The crime may not be sexual abuse but it scars you all the same, being mind fucked hurts a lot more than the scar I have.
This case is about medical doctors and criminal acts and all the entities that let them get away with it.
Thanks for your comments, Anonymous (Feb 7, 10:44 pm). I agree- it is about abuse, and it is about mandated reporters who failed to act.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, a man went to the California Board in 1994 to say that Ayres had molested him in 1966, but the Board neither contacted the cops nor anyone else, as far as I can tell. The San Mateo PD only found out about it in 2005, when they were trying to get a search warrant.
Did you see the letter from David Gross, one of Ayres' victims ? His father was Dr. Sheldon Gross the pediatrician who sent hundreds of kids to Ayres. While he had no idea what Ayres was up to, his son is very angry that he has not done more to speak out publicly about Ayres. I know some parents of victims wish Dr. Gross would have done more. Perhaps it's too painful for him to admit that he sent those boys off to be hurt. I wish he would speak up and reach out to victims and even look for new ones.
Incidentally, this was in the San Francisco Chronicle in 2007, but when Dr. Lynn Ponton filed an abuse complaint against Ayres on behalf of the victim who filed the law suit, Ayres tried to retaliate against her by filing a complaint against her with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Ponton says that Ayres was known as a very vindictive man. We saw how he bullied victims: "Whose going to believe you? You're a troubled kid and I'm a doctor?" and I can only imagine what that fat old blustery, hyper-controlling codger did to intimidate his colleagues to keeping quiet. He held them hostage too.
How many whistles did I blow?
ReplyDeleteI doubt that the AMA’s statistics are of any value. I reported my falsified medical records to them and they nicely replied back that they are just an “umbrella” organization for the local medical societies and as such can only write ethical policies but have no authority to make physicians adhere to the policies they write. In other words, the AMA is a paid membership program for the doctors to add to their resume. The organization does nothing but spend millions to make doctors images in the public look charming. Doctors think it adds prestige to say I am an AMA member and I think they get discounts at hotels.
I went to the police as falsifying medical records is a misdemeanor. Well I bet that was amusing for the doctor to receive a phone call that she was to come to the cop shop for an interview. She brings her lawyer from Los Gatos. The big malpractice firm of Barry Marsh, Thomas Still and other yahoos. I wonder if medical malpractice insurance covers the costs of those trips to the police department? Maybe they brought a nice box of donuts.
Well, our lovely District Attorney at the time Jim Fox reviewed the evidence and decided the case would require an expert medical witness and the cost of that is not supported by a misdemeanor charge. Life in the balance and the District Attorney (the peoples attorney) says it’s too much money! Case denied.
I think about now you are seeing how the wheels of justice work for victims, budget woes with our consumers’agencies and courts, shoddy District Attorney, big shot attorneys on the other side. The victim gets no help from anyone.
The Medical Board. Oh, they ran several investigations. If you have ever met a board investigator, they are usually wanna be cops toting a gun and chewing on a toothpick. My investigator was complaining about driving to the San Jose office of the Medical Board from Dublin and he was in need of some dental work and that is why he came out of retirement to come back as an investigator so he could get his teeth fixed. He brings out an ancient tape recorder and tapes our conversation with the enthusiasm of any dude thinking about a bad toothache, like it was a pain in the ass.
For all the complaining the Medical Board does about having no money they have a very swanky office in San Jose. I really liked the bullet proof glass at the entrance but my case bumped in and out of in-boxes for years. The Medical Board only has three years from the time they become aware of a medical crime to bring the charges against the perpetrator and then the statute runs out. In the case of child molestation it is much longer, but not long enough for the victims of Ayres.
I contacted Jackie Speier. She asked the Medical Board to reopen the case. They did and it sat around for a few more years. I finally received the letter that the statute had tolled and the Medical Board was sorry. Dave Thornton signed it. He came out of retirement to be Director of the Medical Board to bump his Calpers salary for a few years.
Contacting Brian Roach M.D., big doctor protector.....this guy had no ethics what so ever. He sent out a letter of good standing regarding the doctor to all the people I contacted including Jackie Speier. In other words, he tried to cut me off at the pass and protect the doctor. He is scum.
Whistle Blowing Class 101, be prepared to be in this for the long haul and get no where.
Ayres abuse spanned forty years. All the entities are still the same today. Nothing has changed. The Medical Board run by doctors for doctors, cops investigating medical information with no training and no money. The District Attorney, money versus your life. My tax dollars hard at work.
Doctors, protect and serve and defend their own til death do they part and in a few cases they kill a patient along the way without regret, remorse and go on to celebrate “National Doctors Day” and ask us patients to donate to a doctor who has influenced our life. Oh and don’t forget the hospitals usually invite the doctors to a pancake breakfast to honor them as well.
To Anonymous Feb 8: 10:36 am
ReplyDeleteThat sounds rough. Did you ever determine whether the people(person?) who falsified your records have done this to someone else? Usually these things are not an isolated case.
Sounds like you did the best you could and were up against idiots.
My suggestion would be to contact the California Attorney General's office. They were good about Ayres- Jerry Brown got his people to call the Medical Board and Ayres' license was suspended that day. This was of course, right after his arrest.
I agree that the AMA is useless and that the statute of limitation laws for medical investigations don't benefit those who are wronged.
Thanks for posting.
The answer is yes. I contacted the Attorney General who at the time was Bill Lockyear. Reply: He was the Medical Board's attorney and acting as such I was best advised to hire my own attorney. Thanks Bill.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to question did the doctor ever falsify any other records: Uhm, since the Medical Board doesn't release to the public complaints made about doctors or EVEN the three investigations against the doctor I or you would never have a way of knowing this information. You could look up her record on the Medical Board's website and she looks like an outstanding doctor.
Until Ayres was arrested his record on the website of the Medical Board looked much the same. Even after settling a civil suit it did not show any medical malpractice suits settled.
These are the fatal flaws of the public reporting system.
The ironic thing is the doctor who falsified my records lives about 700 YARDS from my sister in Millbrae. I see her all the time. She has had a few bad choking atacks when she looks at me! Guilt, shame. I remain solid without a wince and look her dead in the eye and she knows I wish her dead.
I most likely have post-traumatic stress syndrome.
However, what shrink would you go see in this town? I could not look at any of them and think for 40years they brushed off rumors at the Christmas parties and made little jokes about Ayres and still pretend it didn't happen.
Etta Bryant is the worst. For a frail looking old woman born in 1935 she could probably kick some ass. Defends Ayres, for what......
Anonymous: Frances Acciardi is a therapist in San Bruno who tried to complain to Childrens Services about Ayrees when she found out that Ayres was giving her boy patient "Physicals." Childrens Services thwarted her and said "He's a doctor. There's nothing we can do."
ReplyDeleteAt least she tried. She's in San Bruno. I hear she's good with PTSD and other trauma.
Etta Bryant wrote a letter to the County Times in 2006, defending Ayres. I think she may be the only former partner left defending him.
Yes, Etta Colish Bryant born in Texas in 1935 is one tough ole bird! I think she looks like the female version of Benjamin Button and I pray nobody leaves her on my doorstep wrapped in baby blanket to grow young!
ReplyDeleteJust humor no need to take offense.
To Anonymous who said:
ReplyDelete"So you can tell me to go blog somewhere else, pick up my marbles because this is the wrong forum. "
My Comment:
Number One: I did NOT tell you to "go blog somewhere else", and I didn't even TELL you to pick up your marbles... YOU suggested that you were going to do that... I said DON'T leave... if you have something valuable to add... I think that maybe you're being a bit overly defensive too!
Number Two:
WOW! I much prefer what you DO have to say than just reading someone else's song lyrics!!
THIS is the kind of discussion that needs to happen here.
I only wish that right now, I had some time ask additional questions or add some comments, but all I can do at the moment is say that I was pleasantly stunned when I read your posting, and thank you very sincerely for coming back to post valued content.
Dear Deep Sounding:
ReplyDeleteI started a blog at:
http://millspeninsula.blogspot.com
Thanks for the tip. I am not in competion with you. My subject matter is different. Thanks for the idea and I have you listed as a blog I am following.......
"The Patient Advocate" is off to a great start over at:
ReplyDeleteMills-Peninsula Health Services Lawsuit Watch
Congrats on a great start, and a great topic. You'll find "blogging" to be both rewarding and trying at times. Be persistent. And welcome! Make sure to drop a link here if you write any articles on our mutual "friends."
Hey, Patient Advocate:
ReplyDeleteNow that you have a blog go over to gmail.google.com and set up an email just for your blog communication. Add it to your profile. You can check it when you want, and ignore it when you want, and then other people can contact you with info for your blog, or to drop you a tip or two about how you can improve how your blog will show up on google searches, and stuff like that.
Thanks for the tip Deep Sounding! Added email in my profile.....I learned from the best LOL...
ReplyDeleteA quotation I always liked:
It takes courage to fight corruption.