Malpractice Claims against Psychiatrists Related to Psychopharmacologic Agents: File series

Objective: Psychiatrists are considered to be the least frequently sued among other medical specialties. Of the 28 medical specialties, psychiatry ranked 22nd in terms of number of malpractice claims. We aimed to investigate psychopharmacotherapeutic malpractice claims against psychiatrists in Turkey. Methods: Data from claim files were extracted between the years of 2003 and 2012 in which expert witness testimony of psychiatrist and forensic specialists in the Council of Forensic Medicine were requested by the court. Only, claim files about psychopharmacotherapeutic issues were included in the study. Results: There were eight malpractice claim files selected according to the inclusion criteria. There were 3 female and 5 male patients in the related claims; four of them had a diagnosis of depression while the remaining four had schizophrenia. Four wrong treatments, one neglect and wrong treatment, one severe adverse effect, one accountability for death, one persecutory complaint about the prescribed drugs were cited in the claims. Conclusion: Malpractice claims against psychiatrists have been rising and this issue might have some negative influences on interrelations between psychiatrists. Therefore, psychiatrists should improve their awareness about malpractice subjects.