Sacramento psychiatrist attempted romantic relationship with patient; surrenders license

July 31, 2013

On June 3, 2013, psychiatrist Ananth Shanmugam surrender his license to the Medical Board of California, admitting that, at a hearing, the Board could establish a factual basis for the charges against him contained in the Board’s October 3, 2011 Accusation, which alleged gross negligence and repeated negligent acts for attempting to establish a romantic relationship with a patient.

Shanmugam treated the patient March to May 2010, during which he talked to her about her feelings, how her medications were affecting her, her sex life, what she could do to make sex better and about her relationship with her husband.”

Shanmugan sent the patient text messages which turned increasingly personal and inappropriate. The patients’ cellphone records showed that 273 text messages were exchanged between them over a three-week period.