State cancels license of psychiatrist Normal J. Lachman; charged with "bizarre, abusive" conduct of sibling patients

December 13, 2011

On December 13, 2011, the Medical Board of California cancelled psychiatrist Norman J. Lachman’s license, pursuant to the terms of probation which the Board had placed on his license in November 2009, for gross negligence, repeated negligent acts, incompetence and failure to maintain adequate and accurate records.

Those charges involved two patients, who are siblings.

According to the Board earlier document, Lachman engaged in engaged in bizarre and abusive conduct with one of the siblings, including, among other things, hitting him with a cane and sometimes with his hand; conducting daily telephone or e-mail session of up to four hours and then insisting the patient prepare a written analysis of the session, which he would then critique; threatening to make the patient eat dog food; calling the patient “stupid” and “crazy”; ordering him to not contact his sister; calling him by a girl’s name; asking him to set him up with his female friends and also to send naked photos of his girlfriends; asking the patient to record pornographic videos for him and making sexual innuendos regarding the patient’s sister.

Probation terms included automatic cancellation of his license if he failed to engage in the practice of medicine for two years while still residing in California.