Archive for April 8th, 2007

Psychologist/Pedophile: What Can Be Done?

Sunday, April 8th, 2007

Taken from CNN.com

Child Psychiatrist Accused of Molesting Patients 

REDWOOD CITY, California (AP) — A child psychiatrist who once headed the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry was arrested amid allegations he molested male patients dating back to the 1960s.

Dr. William Ayres, 75, appeared in court Friday on charges that he molested three patients. No plea was entered because his lawyer was not at the hearing.

Ayres was taken into custody Thursday at his San Mateo home and charged with 14 felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. Prosecutors said they plan to present evidence that he molested young boys in his care for decades.

He is accused of fondling three boys repeatedly between 1991 and 1996 while they were his patients, according to the complaint. The boys were 9, 11 and 12 at the time and are now in their 20s. The statute of limitations for such crimes is 10 years or until the victim turns 28.

You know, I bet this happens more than we think it does.  In New York State, anyone who wants to go into child psychology has to undergo a background check, and I’m sure the rules are the same in other states.

Children are pretty vulnerable.  It would be easy for someone in the position of a child psychologist to take advantage of this.  Which brings me to question the whole subject of doctor/patient confidentiality.  Should this apply to children?  Should a child’s sessions with a psychologist be taped and made available to the parents?  This is something I don’t have an answer to.

W hen I was a kid, I went to a number of different psychologists for what was believed to be Attention Deficit Disorder.  I told these doctors a lot of personal things, some of which I wouldn’t readily admit in front of my parents.  Looking back now, it was all pretty stupid and none of what was going on in my life was anything that needed to be hidden, or to be ashamed of.  I was a normal kid with normal kid issues.  I had crushes on girls I didn’t know what to do about (and still don’t sometimes), I had problems with homework and grades.  Nothing spectacular.  But then again, I was a pretty normal kid.

Which is why I almost think that parents should be let in on what goes on in these sessions.  Parents can be the best friends a child can have, and the first line of defense against predators.  It’s a sad fact that some professionals are dangerous – and at the same time, most probably aren’t.  But, can we really afford to take chances?

It seems like pedophilia has become a huge problem in the US.  Maybe that’s because the internet has opened so many doors for pedophiles, and given them opportunities to access children that they didn’t have in the 80’s and most of the 90’s.  Maybe it’s because shows like “Dateline” are giving it more publicity than in the past.  It just seems like this is a growing issu, and growing at a rate that’s pretty damn frightening.  It doesn’t seem like any child is safe anymore.

Going back to an earlier point, parents are the first line of defense against predators, and if a child has to sacrifice a bit of privacy in order to be safe, it may be for his or her own good.