Loaded Diagnosis
Posted on 09. Dec, 2009 in Case Reports
Case Synopsis
The Parked Car
It was just an anonymous tip. And the car seemed quite ordinarily, parked in the back lot of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine, CA. Wait, the car’s unlocked. Slowly the police opened the door to the vehicle. It’s a hot one!
In a bag there was a Baikal Makarov .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun, three magazine clips, and 31 .380 caliber rounds of ammunition. In another bag there was a Makarov 1J80-18AM .380 caliber semi-automatic with two magazine clips and 22 rounds of ammunition. The rest of the contents of the car yielded a bayonet serrated double edge knife, and stashed away was a Bulgaria “Arsenal” 7.62 × 39 rifle with one round in chamber and a fully loaded banana magazine clip.
Oddly, there was also an aluminum baseball bat and a body armor helmet.
Searching further the inside the car, the police came upon numerous rounds of ammunition and over 300 medication tablets. These medications included Prozac, Atenolol, Buspirone Hydrochloride, Paxil, Buspar, Ambien, Remeron, and Zoloft. Mind you, this was just inside the passenger compartment.
Popping the trunk, there were nearly 500 more medications. In addition to some of the name brands already mentioned, there were also Wellbutrin, Serzone, Effexor, and Accupril.
The Mysterious Owner
Where was the owner of the car? Inside attending a health class put on by the University of California, Irvine. We’ll call him Dr. Rambo.
Dr. Rambo was accosted while in class. In his pocket was a Glock Model 27 .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun loaded with a hollow point bullet. He was also carrying a clip that was loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition. The police also found pepper spray in his front pants pocket.
He was arrested on the spot.
The Apartment
A raid of Dr. Rambo’s apartment was then conducted. The Simi Valley police found 28 rifles, 10 handguns, 250 magazines (not the kind you read), eight 100 round capacity drum magazines, 2 bullet-proof vests, and 2 gas masks.
Most of these weapons were not legally registered, but it’s not to say he didn’t try. Two years earlier, Dr. Rambo had applied for a “concealed weapons permit.” Unfortunately (or should we say, fortunately), his application was denied because the psychologist who evaluated him had found him not to be – as quoted – “psychologically suited for a concealed weapon permit at this time.”
The Investigation
Oh, wait. Before we continue, did we mention that Dr. Rambo was a psychiatrist? In his personal declaration to the police, Dr. Rambo claimed that all the medications found in his car and other areas were physician samples given to him by drug companies. And because he worked at three offices, he would bring the samples around and distribute them as needed.
And as for all those weapons? Well, he was an avid gun collector of course. The reason he carried a loaded handgun was because he had treated many psychotic patients and had had threats made against him—on two occasions his office had been vandalized. Now as for having a bayonet, that was for a totally different reason: it was to be used as an emergency life-saver in case he needed to sever his seat belt if he was trapped and it malfunctioned. These were all perfectly plausible explanations, according to Dr. Rambo.
Unsurprisingly, the judge presiding over the hearing didn’t think so and ordered Dr. Rambo to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
The Evaluation
During the course of the evaluation, it was discovered that Dr. Rambo slept with handguns and knives under his bed pillow. Furthermore, he kept a loaded handgun concealed on himself while he conducted therapy sessions with his patients.
Although Dr. Rambo’s neuropsychological tests were “within normal limits,” the evaluating psychiatrist found that Dr. Rambo suffered from “a mixed personality disorder with histrionic, immature, and paranoid features…involv[ing] fixed, pathologic character features that impair [Dr. Rambo]’s functioning…”
Case Outcome
Dr. Rambo had his license revoked, but the revocation was stayed. Instead, he was placed on 5 years probation with a long list of terms. Of course, this doesn’t include the criminal ramifications of his actions.
Analysis by Marc
Yowza! That was a wild read. Clearly, Dr. Rambo has some issues and is in need of therapy. BUT, I am glad that he did not lose his license and was instead placed in some sort of rehabilitation program. Here’s why:
Guns and knives are perfectly legal to own in the United States. The only stipulation is that one must have a permit. This means that there’s nothing inherently wrong with having such weapons. While I know that it’s still breaking the law, it’s not quite as bad as, say, attempted murder or drug trafficking.
I don’t believe that Dr. Rambo went out of his way to harm patients, threaten them with his weapons, or any other such violent things. It’s not like he said, “Tell me your most innermost secrets, or I will shoot you!” Instead, he had dealing with a dose of paranoia — perhaps exacerbated by him treating mentally ill patients in the first place. Like his evaluating psychiatrist noted, Dr. Rambo suffered from a mixed personality disorder with histrionic, immature, and paranoid features.
How should we deal with doctors who suffer from diseases that the rest of humanity suffers from? It would benefit society for programs to be put in place to help rehabilitate them. All too often a doctor would be scared to admit her depression, gambling addiction, or alcohol dependence because of fear of losing her license.
For history’s sake, this story happened in 1999. In May of 2005, Dr. Rambo had his license fully restored and free of probation requirements.
That’s not the end of it. Just a few months ago in September 2009, Dr. Rambo was placed back on probation for 3 years with various terms and conditions…but I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation….
| Score |
|---|
| 3.6 |
| Damage | Anger | Ineptitude | Shock | Ethics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 2 |
Response by Florence
Oh my, this story is most definitely alarming! How frightening would it be to know that your doctor was packing a loaded gun as he took care of you! To begin, the doctor certainly was inept in his handling of himself. I also think that ethics play a bit into this case, as he did technically break the law. It does not bring me any comfort knowing that there are all these doctors out there who have issues such as these but never get reported or caught.
However, I believe the issue is much bigger than this. It is so very unfortunate that we stigmatize those suffering from mental illnesses. In their greatest hour of need, we as family, friends, or a society make life even more difficult for them to endure. It is even worse for doctors, whom we tend to hold to a higher standard. The suicide rate for doctors is traditionally high because so many doctors refuse to seek treatment when they need it.
I think it is important to support such doctors-who-become-patients, or for mental patients as a whole. On the long run, perhaps we can rid ourselves of the stigma so that people who need mental health treatment will seek it more willingly and more often.
| Score |
|---|
| 3.6 |
| Damage | Anger | Ineptitude | Shock | Ethics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 3 |
Response by Jessie
It scares me to think of anyone having this type of arsenal just laying around!
I agree, I don’t think his intention was to harm anyone. However, what would have happened if someone wouldn’t have given that anonymous tip? What if his paranoia or the histrionic parts of his diagnosis had escalated before the police found those weapons? It’s scary to think of the what-if’s.
I’m not sure how I feel about them reinstating his license. I suppose if some of the conditions of keeping it are that he continue with his own therapy and the recommendations put forth by the psychiatrist it would be fine. I have worked with therapists who had their own bouts of depression, and unfortunately, there is a stigma for them to admit that. It would be very helpful if they could admit that they are human also and not feel ashamed to seek help.
| Score |
|---|
| 2 |
| Damage | Anger | Ineptitude | Shock | Ethics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
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What_the_heck
Dec 9th, 2009
Holy smokes! I can’t believe this guy is still out on the streets. Unless I’m wrong but with the fact his medical license was renewed that to me says he was not jailed. Does anyone out there know if a doctor can retain his medical license if he was/is convicted of crimes like this guy may have been?
I am not really a strong advocate of taking guns away from law abiding citizens (of course this guy was obviously not law abiding) so having the guns is not the major thing for me in this story. Some of the explanations may have been true that the doctor gave. My issue is with the fact that there was a doctor out there practicing medicine who psychologically was falling apart! What if the patient he was seeing on any given day inadvertently pissed him off, the doc could have pulled his gun and bam a huge issue. Maybe doctors should have to do a psychological test every 1 or 2 years to see if they are still able to practice medicine to the best of their ability? After all doctors are HUMAN and they fall prey to any and all afflictions that the rest of us do. Unfortunately as stated above, a stigma is out there about doctors and that makes it very hard for them to seek out help that they may so desperately need. I hope this changes in the future.
Donald
Dec 10th, 2009
This article really hit it on the spot. There really needs to be more oversight in this area. I wonder how long he got away with his paranoia before he got busted.
Kuddle
Jan 20th, 2010
If an ordinary citizen was caught carrying a concealed, loaded weapon (not including the 10 rounds in the spare clip) we would be punished. The fact that he was refused a permit based on the evaluation of a professional psychologist should send up a big, bright red flag! When will the legal system quit looking at the titles behind a name and give fair punishment for the crime committed? His car was unlocked, full of weapons, ammunition and prescription drugs. Most trunks are easily accessible by a buttom or lever located inside the car. This doctors actions could have placed multiple weapons in the hands of a common theif or more severe, a street gang.