Who offends? A look at the doctors who sexually exploit patients

What sort of doctor would sexually exploit a patient?

Certainly, many of the physicians whose acts were investigated by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had the professional reputations you might expect – nondescript to lousy. But one of the more surprising findings was that some doctors who groped, seduced, even raped patients were highly admired in their communities and by their peers.

A team doctor for an NBA franchise; the president of a psychiatric hospital affiliated with Harvard University; a medical expert sought for national TV interviews: Each was found to be an offender.

And a Colorado attorney general's investigation alleged that a doctor who served on that state's medical board -- where he could sit in judgment of other doctors -- had committed sexual violations against five patients.

The best doctors exhibit finely tuned skills, self-assurance and charisma (and, experts say, a touch of narcissism). These are also traits seen in predatory doctors who manipulate and exploit patients, who lack empathy for others and erupt when challenged, who rationalize their actions and then charm their way out of trouble when brought to account.