Licensing Boards and the Stigma of Mental Illness

To the Editor: There was a time when people with mental illnesses were subject to inhumane treatment and left to die. There was a time when healers had to project a holier-than-thou image by submitting themselves to some demanding codes of conduct. I think the behavior of the medical boards, as described in the article by Dr Miles,¹ has traveled unmodified from that yonder past to modern times.

We need to look at the prevailing standard of care for other members of our society with mental illness. In the case of a mental illness, a fitness certificate by a trained psychiatrist and continued satisfactory conduct at the job site would be enough for most persons to keep the job. A qualified psychiatrist should be well-trained to judge a physician's fitness for the job as well. If the boards still want some special evaluation, they should request that the American Psychiatric Association form an autonomous body of some prominent psychiatrists who should evaluate all the medical professionals with mental illness. This action will reassure the medical professionals, and lead to a win-win situation for everybody.