CA psychiatrist Stephen J. Mee gets 7 years probation for drugs, sex

June 23, 2008

On June 23, 2008 the Medical Board of California issued a Stipulated Settlement and Disciplinary Order on Long Beach psychiatrist Steven James Mee, Jr., M.D., revoking his license. However, the Board stayed the revocation and placed Dr. Mee on seven years probation with terms and conditions including abstinence from the use of controlled substances and submission to biological fluid testing at the Board’s request. The Board’s Accusation states that Dr. Mee committed or engaged in Gross Negligence, Repeated Negligent Acts, Incompetence, General Unprofessional Conduct, Sexual Relations with a Patient, Excessive Use of Drugs or Alcohol, Furnishing Dangerous Drugs without Examination, Failure to Maintain Adequate and Accurate Medical Records and Dishonesty and Corruption.

Specifically, the Accusation states that Dr. Mee gave a controlled substance to a woman he met at a party when she expressed having anxiety during sales meetings at her job and also prescribed other dangerous drugs and controlled substances to her. In each instance, Dr. Mee did not examine the patient or take her medical history. He did not advise her of the effects of taking the drug with alcohol, the benefits or risks or potential side effects, nor did he inquire about any other drugs she was taking at the time. Further, he failed to document that he had provided the drugs/prescriptions or the medical indications for such drugs.

The Accusation also states that during another social occasion, Dr. Mee smoked very strong marijuana with the same patient, which made her feel “weird,” that he gave her another controlled substance to help keep her awake. The two also drank alcohol together. Later the same evening, while on Dr. Mee’s boat, the patient wanted to go home but Dr. Mee advised her to take a nap before she drove and gave her another controlled substance to help her sleep (also without a medical examination, advice on benefits/risks, etc.).

While the patient was in a state of reduced awareness, Dr. Mee engaged in sexual intercourse with her. According to the State’s documents, “Patient…felt [Dr. Mee] knowingly gave her the mixture of drugs and alcohol to impair her judgment for the purpose of having sex with her. She never gave her consent to have sex with [him]." Dr. Mee also sold the patient marijuana. Lastly, the Accusation states that Dr. Mee wrote prescriptions for another patient for controlled substances that were actually for his own use. The patient had the prescriptions filled and handed them over to Dr. Mee. ¹