Psychiatrist Jeffrey Rausch, a "leading scientist," arrested for possession of Ecstasy

February 9, 2011

A Georgia psychiatrist was arrested on drug charges Monday after police went to his home to investigate an assault.

After arriving at the home of Jeffrey Lynn Rausch, 58, investigators discovered drug paraphernalia and a small amount of Ecstacy, a schedule I narcotic, said Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.

Information on what Rausch is charged with was not immediately available.

In January 2009, Rausch was charged with possession of a Schedule II drug and traffic violations after police pulled him over for making an illegal U-turn. They found marijuana residue and blue powder in his car. Three other people were found in his home with drugs.

In March, Rausch was arrested again and charged with possession of a controlled substance and traffic charges, including driving on a suspended license.

Morris said police are still investigating the assault.

In 2005, Rausch was detained at the Aiken County Sheriff's Office and missed his April 23 wedding in Augusta, according to The Augusta Chronicle archives.

The groom-to-be first caught Richmond County deputies' attention when he crashed into a cruiser in front of Sacred Heart Cultural Center, the location of his soon-to-be wedding. He was found with an open bottle of gin in his car. However, because he registered below the legal limit, he was charged with open container and let go.

Several hours later in North Augusta, Rausch ran off the road, jumped a curb, hit a light pole and two trees on Georgia Avenue. He was arrested and charged with DUI and transporting legal liquor unlawfully, police said.

Several bags of tropical fish were also located in his vehicle, along with open bottles of gin and tequila.

Rausch is a former professor and Case Distinguished Chair in Psychiatry at the former Medical College of Georgia, now known as Georgia Health Sciences University. He was inducted into the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in 2007, according to a news release issued at the time by MCG.

The organization, limited to about 700 leading scientists, aims to better understand brain disorders and behavior and advance the prevention and treatment of those disorders. Membership is limited to those making major research contributions toward that goal. Rausch was the first member of the organization from MCG.

A widely recognized expert on depressive, bipolar, anxiety and Asperger's disorders, Rausch published a study in a Neuropsychopharmacology that identified a mechanism of serotonin receptor adaptation that explains differences in response to antidepressants.

Source: "Evans psychiatrist arrested on drug charge," Augusta Chronicle, February 7, 2011.