[Sexual contacts between psychotherapists and patients. A review of recent American literature].

According to research in the USA, most psychotherapists reported sexual attraction to one or more of their patients during their career. Only a small minority, however, engaged in sex with their patients. There is a subgroup among offenders (i.e. repeaters) whose views on therapist-patient sex are distorted and grossly at variance with standard professional ethics. Nine of ten patients who have been involved in sex with their therapists are harmed by it. The clinical problems they present resemble those of incest and rape victims. In terms of prevention it seems worthwhile to train students and psychotherapist trainees in ethics and in how to handle sexual feelings. Efforts to rehabilitate offenders have met with little success so far. Prevalence of doctor-patient sex does not seem to differ across most clinical medical specialties.