Medical License of South Carolina Psychiatrist Dieter Bartschat Permanently Deactivated

April 11, 2025

On March 3, 2025, the South Carolina State Board of Medical Examiners issued a "Permanent Deactivation of License" on psychiatrist Dieter Karl Bartschat.

The Board's document states that Bartschat, who was formerly employed at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, advised the Board that he wished to deactivate his license and permanently retire from the practice of medicine in this State in accordance with South Carolina Code section 40-47-20(45).

A review of this section of South Carolina Code reveals that Bartschat relinquished his license to Board, that he did this in lieu of facing a disciplinary proceeding, and that such relinquishment is an admission of the allegations of misconduct against him:

“Section 40-47-20 (45) ‘Relinquish’ means to permanently cancel or invalidate an authorization instead of disciplinary proceedings or final decision by the board. A person whose authorization to practice has been relinquished to the board is permanently ineligible for a license or other authorization of any kind from the board. Relinquishment is irrevocable, an admission of any or all of the allegations of misconduct, and reported and treated as a permanent revocation.”

While the Board’s document does not indicate what the allegations of misconduct against Bartschat were, it is known that on July 11, 2022, Bartschat pleaded guilty to one count of communicating obscene messages to another person without consent. He was sentenced to time already served in custody (10 days) and required to register as a Tier 1 sex offender.

Bartschat was arrested on December 17, 2018 on 20 charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor” and “Investigators state Bartschat possessed multiple files of child pornography.”

He was shortly after indicated on these charges.

On December 19, 2018, the Board temporarily suspended Bartschat’s medical license.

Bartschat had been scheduled to stand trial on the sexual exploitation charges on July 11, 2022 but entered a guilty plea to the lesser obscenity charge just prior to the start of the trial. The South Carolina Courts Public Index shows that the State Attorney General's Office subsequently dismissed the 20 sexual exploitation charges.

Bartschat is a 1982 graduate of Medical University of South Carolina. According to his bio on the "Psychology Today" website, sexual abuse is among the issues that he specialized in.

Source: "Chapin Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charges," press release of South Carolina Attorney General, December 17, 2018; Order of Temporary Suspension in the Matter of Dieter Karl Bartschat, M.D., License No. MMD 36426, South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, Before the State Board of Medical Examiners, Case No. 2018-696, December 19, 2018; State of South Carolina vs Dieter Karl Bartschat, indictments 2021GS3206044 thru 2021GS3206053, 2018A3210800870 thru 2018A3210800889, and 2022GS3206108, Lexington County Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court Public Index, and Permanent Deactivation of License in the Matter of Dieter Karl Bartschat, M.D., License No. MMD 36426, South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, Before the State Board of Medical Examiners, Case No. 2018-696, March 3, 2025.