California Medical Board Issues Accusation against Psychiatrist Helen Krell following Patient Suicide

April 14, 2025

On January 30, 2025, the State of California Medical Board issued an Accusations against psychiatrist Helen Krell of Davis, California for Gross Negligence and Repeated Negligent Acts following the suicide of her patient.

On March 18, 2022, the Board received an online complaint from the patient’s ex-girlfriend alleging that Krell provided negligent care to the patient, excessively prescribed benzodiazepines, over-billed for services, and that Krell appeared to “nod off” during online sessions and had slow speech. The patient’s ex-girlfriend made this complaint approximately ten days after the patient’s suicide.

Autopsy results showed that the patient had three different benzodiazepines in his system at the time of death on March 8, 2022. 

The Board cited that there was no effort by Krell to detox the patient from benzodiazepines before trying other classes of medications. The patient had also complained of insomnia yet there was no attempt to investigate the primary causes of insomnia or any effort by Krell to refer the patient to a sleep study clinic.

Krell appears to have attempted to deflect her responsibility for the outcome by placing it entirely on the patient, telling Board investigators that he was "very stubborn,""opinionated," and "impulsive" and that she knew he was not compliant with his prescription orders by taking more benzodiazepine pills than directed. Krell prescribed 300 tablets of 2 mg of Valium (benzodiazepine) pills per 30-day prescription. When asked why she prescribed such a large amount, she responded because "that's what [the patient] wanted...."

Krell’s continued prescribing of benzodiazepines to a patient who was noncompliant with prescription instructions constituted gross negligence and repeated negligence. 

Source: Accusation in the Matter of the Accusation Against Helen Louise Krell, M.D., Physician and Surgeon’s Certificate No. G 26399, Case No. 800-2022-086824, Medical Board of California, January 31, 2025.