Raj Persaud - Plagiarism

Plagiarism

In 2005 Persaud was accused of plagiarism. Thomas Blass, professor of psychology and proponent of the psychiatric Milgram Test at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, alleged that a large proportion of Persaud's article in Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry (Volume 9, Issue 2) had been extracted without correct reference from Blass's original work on Stanley Milgram's 1963 'compliance' experiments, as had an earlier article in the Times Educational Supplement. Persaud claimed this had been due to an editing rather than a typographical error, and offered to apologise for not crediting Blass. Persaud had invited Blass to introduce Blass's work on Stanley Milgram to a wider audience through Radio 4's "All in the Mind" program which Persaud hosted and the interview was broadcast on November 30, 2004.

An article about Scientology's relationship to psychiatry in The Independent of June 30, 2005 was found to have used arguments from discussions of a publication of the Canadian Professor Stephen A. Kent without total and complete attribution. The paper blamed a "production error" and altered the article in its web archives to properly attribute Kent.

In December 2005, it was announced that two of his articles would be retracted from the British Medical Journal and Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry publications, while his work was reviewed by a panel from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College.

Following a report by Brian Deer in The Sunday Times, in April 2006, the College decided that the allegations against Persaud "were of a nature which could be addressed at 'departmental level' (i.e. Institute of Psychiatry) without the need to initiate a formal inquiry." Later that month, Persaud resigned as presenter of the BBC Radio 4 programme All In The Mind because of the ongoing controversy, but returned temporarily in 2007.

In December 2007, the same issues of alleged plagiarism were brought to the attention of the General Medical Council by a group affiliated to the Scientology movement, who have a noted anti-psychiatric position. concerning the work of Professor Richard Bentall, who had published an anti-psychiatric book. Bentall told the GMC tribunal that he was "flabbergasted" at the blatancy of Persaud's deceit, which, he told the GMC panel, had come to his attention in a phone call from Brian Deer. However, Bentall noted that Persaud had asked him permission to quote his work, which he had given, and Bentall had been sent a copy of the book.

In the hearing in June 2008, Persaud admitted to inadequately acknowledging four articles for his book From The Edge Of The Couch, but denied that his actions brought his profession into disrepute. The book attempts to popularise 100 famous cases in psychiatry. Persaud appeared before the GMC from 16 June, where Dr Anthony Morgan, chair of the GMC Fitness to Practise panel told Persaud:

"You are an eminent psychiatrist with a distinguished academic record who has combined a clinical career as a consultant psychiatrist with work in the media and journalism. The panel is of the view that you must have known that your actions in allowing the work of others to be seen as though it was your own would be considered dishonest by ordinary people. The panel has therefore determined that your actions were dishonest in accordance with the accepted definition of dishonesty in these proceedings. The panel has determined that your actions, in plagiarising the work of others, were liable to bring the profession into disrepute."

Found guilty of bringing the profession into disrepute on 19 June, on 20 June, the GMC came to the conclusion that Dr Persaud's "fitness to practise is impaired," and he was suspended from practising for three months.

It emerged in the judgement that the matter was brought to the attention of the GMC by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, an organisation founded by senior members of the Scientology movement.

In summing up, the Chairman of the GMC Panel, Dr Anthony Morgan, explained that in deciding on the length of the suspension, the panel took into account that there had been no patient harm, that his plagiarism was not financially motivated, that it did not relate to research fraud and that it was unlikely to be repeated.

In a statement issued through the Medical Protection Society, Dr Persaud said: "I am saddened by the findings and decision of the GMC, which relates to material published in 2004 and 2005. These matters have been under investigation since 2005.

"As I said during the hearing, I accept that my use of the work of some authors lacked adequate acknowledgement. I have apologised repeatedly for this during the hearing, and I apologise for this now. I am saddened that this occurred while I was seeking to promote the work of academics to the wider public. I am grateful for the support of so many colleagues, patients and members of the public who have contacted the GMC and myself to offer their support to me at this difficult time. Mental illness and psychological problems are much misunderstood, but extremely common predicaments which still require energetic efforts to de-stigmatise. I hope to be allowed to continue with this work in the future."