Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Psychiatrist may practice again but license is put on probation
July 16, 2005

A New Orleans psychiatrist whose license was suspended in December 2003 can resume her practice, a state agency has ruled.

Dr. Christine Smith, 52, had let her license be suspended while she was being treated for alcoholism, anxiety disorder and depression, according to the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners’ report on her case.

But when the board took that action, it also said it would let Smith resume treating patients if she met certain conditions, including completion of inpatient care, enrollment in an outpatient program and positive evaluations from two doctors.

In restoring her license last month, the agency acknowledged that Smith had satisfied those requirements. But as the board said it would do, it put Smith’s license on probation for five years and said she would have to submit to unannounced drug and alcohol screenings, abstain from alcohol and narcotics for the rest of her life, and continue treatment. In each year of probation, the board ordered Smith to earn at least 50 continuing-education credits and pay a $300 probation-monitoring fee.

Smith could not be reached for comment.