
A Criminal Mind – Why did a respected psychiatrist became a drug dealer? - fahimulhaq
https://story.californiasunday.com/joel-dreyer-criminal-psychiatrist
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fahimulhaq
Following is the most intriguing stat for me.

"In March, for example, researchers from the University of Denver found that
96 percent of all inmates screened at the Downtown Detention Center in
Colorado had brain trauma, mostly from blunt-force injuries to the head — much
higher than the estimated 6 to 8.5 percent of the general population."

~~~
rl3
More on that:

[http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27673196/nearly-all-
denver...](http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_27673196/nearly-all-denver-jail-
inmates-high-risk-unit)

How sad.

~~~
revelation
Is prison a risk factor for brain trauma or is brain trauma a risk factor for
prison?

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scarmig
Something to consider: just because there is a widely present neurological
basis for criminality doesn't mean we shouldn't segregate those suffering from
it from society. They're still a risk and real danger to everyone around them.

It would be nice, though, if we could move away from the idea that we need to
be the implementers of some grand cosmic justice, where every sin of the
accused must be punished by inflicting pain and suffering on them (up to and
including brutal gang rapes, which are popularly joked about and sometimes
even celebrated, at least in America). That might require re-evaluating or
even disposing of traditional notions of moral guilt and punishment, though.

~~~
tormeh
This. Segregation, not punishment. I believe as neuroscience advances way
fewer things will be ascribed to amoral choices. Explaining crime with free
will is often like explaining natural disasters with God's will - mere
supersition.

~~~
ams6110
So we need a new Australia where we send all our criminals?

How is "segregation, not punishment" materially different from what we do now
with prisons.

~~~
pessimizer
Sounds better. More therapeutic.

~~~
tormeh
Many prisons are built to be awful places on purpose. That needs to stop.

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jcromartie
Every mental state is precipitated by the physical state of the brain. The
only difference between a criminal who does something "intentionally" and
someone like this is a difference of degree. Unless someone wants to
demonstrate supernatural free will, we need to stop pretending that anybody
does anything completely on their own. This doesn't mean we should let
dangerous people roam free, but it means that we should let evidence decide
the most effective response to unwanted behavior rather than our desire for
retribution.

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anmonteiro90
Hate to be the grammar nazi, but there's an error in the title: "become" and
not "became"

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dennisnedry
Such a sad story. It's as if he knows what's going on, but he can't do
anything to stop it.

~~~
mettamage
Or doesn't even care about stopping it.

~~~
VLM
That's because he's crazy. The sad part is using prison as a mental health
treatment facility.

I suspect being locked up with crazy people does nothing good for genuine
criminals, with respect to constantly interfering with the guards and safety
procedures and whatever little rehabilitation might exist.

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marincounty
I'm not going to defend all actions of this psychiatrist, but know there's a
war going on with the DEA and medical doctors(mainly Psychiatrists and and
doctor who deals with patients in pain--Pain Specialists).

I discount all the testimony on his first wife, and children; I just don't
know if he did anything illegial. Yes, it might have been weird, but not
illegal. He married a much younger wife--not unheard of? I recall one med
student joke about having a medschool spouse, and that was comming from a
woman.

I believe the DEA, did an accounting of his prescribing practices between 2004
and 2007. We all read those huge amounts of drugs he was dispensing, but why
did they count the number of pills, and not the correlate that to patients.
They said he prescribed 37,000 Xanax in in those years. That's also 1223
patients in that time period with a script for 30 pills? The hydrocodone was
2630 scripts for 30 pills.

This is a well know Psychiatrist in his 60's. He must have thousands of
patient he's treating? He's lived through the SSRI lies? He knows what works,
and what doesn't. I don't know why he was prescribing a Fetnal type drug,
other than maybe he was seeing cancer patients, or he took pity on patients
who just had pain other physicians refused to treat?

He was investigated by three agencies. I don't belive the local police
investigation; I have seen them lie too frequently to make their case. I am
Leary of the DEA undercover investigation. I'm not Leary of the California
State licensing Board. In that instance he offerd advise and warnings.

"In March, an undercover agent from the California Medical Board came to
Dreyer, saying she had a sore throat and cramps. He told her she was “very
pretty” and inquired if she was single. She asked for Xanax, and Dreyer said
he worried about her “getting all these crazy meds,” adding, “I don’t want to
hook you, baby.” He prescribed 30 doses of Xanax and 60 doses of Vicodin."

He shouldn't have flirted with her, but he warned her about addiction, and
didn't give an unreasonable amount of medication--especially if he wasen't
going to see her for months? We don't have the transcript of that office
visit.

My point is he's a older physician who dealt with patients whom were in
psychological, and physical pain. He was taught in med school to alleviate
pain, and misery.

Through out the article, everyone was astonished he was Not making much money
'doing these illegial acts'? He was charging $100 a visit, which in my neck of
the woods is a bargain. Most of these Psychaitrists are charging $350-$500 an
office visit, and you leave with a safe, and so many times ineffective SSRI,
and a business card of a MFCC.

My point is I'm not sure he was so reckless; he should be in prison?
Psychiatrist deal with people in pain. How many patients are they allowed to
see? Just how many scripts are they allowed to write? Maybe they should tell
doctors exactly what, and whom to prescribe too?

I usually don't defend doctors, but know the DEA is after them on a large
scale. One day, you might be in a Psychiatrist office and you won't get that
medication that stops a panic attack dead in its track?

I guess what I'm trying to say is I would like to see all the transcripts. I
would like to know how many of his patients were diagnosed with terminal
cancer, or another deadly, painful disease?

I Don't want to argue with anyone, he's in jail--Yay right? Just another drug
dealer? Maybe misunderstood, by a paranoid government agency? An agency with
agents, administrators who didn't go to medical school?

Again--I fear a medical establishment that won't treat
pain(psychological/physical) because they don't want the DEA breathing down
their backs. Hell, it's happening right now. Good luck with that slipped disc.
They just aren't prescribing drugs that actually work--out of fear.

Yes--we have a problem with opoid/benzo addiction, but their are people who
benefit from these drugs too. Why, in America, do we need to solve complex
problems with a hammer?

~~~
corin_
Without knowing all the full transcripts it is of course possible we are
hearing an editorialised version of events, but things like this:

    
    
      “Why are you here to see a shrink?” he asked.
      
      She explained that she needed prescriptions for her boyfriend, who’d hurt his 
      foot.
      
      Dreyer asked if she was having pain, too.
      
      She shook her head no.
      
      “Cramps?” Dreyer asked.
      
      “I mean that makes sense, cramps.”
      
      “Well, we’ll get you covered,” Dreyer said. “And you know it’s a hundred-dollar
       charge.” After she paid him, he told her, “And that, my love, is the game.”
    

Makes it seem pretty clear that he was blatantly breaking the law regarding
prescriptions. Letting a patient pretend they need painkillers for themselves
when you know it's really for their boyfriend, because you couldn't legally
prescribe it for someone who isn't there...

Plus he didn't seem interested in checking whether people were in pain beyond
an "are you in pain?".

Sure, you could argue that he was still "just trying to help people", but
short of having all prescription drugs laid out on supermarket shelves for
anyone to pick up whenever they want, there has to be a line drawn _somewhere_
for "how to be responsible about giving out dangerous drugs", and giving them
to anyone who asks for them is not on the right side of that line.

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humbleMouse
Wow, this story is pretty nuts and well written.

~~~
NickHaflinger
Did anyone else find the prose style overblown, turgid and treacly, a bit like
a cross between Tom Wolf, John Updike and Dame Beryl Bainbridge :)

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bru_
Is this the plot to American Beauty?

