Yarmouth psychiatrist agrees to halt practice

AUGUSTA – A Yarmouth child psychiatrist, whom state regulators describe as having an undiagnosed psychiatric problem or a substance abuse problem, has agreed to stop practicing in Maine.

Dr. Charles Clemetson signed a consent agreement that puts him on inactive status. The agreement was completed over the weekend, according to John Paterson, one of Clemetson’s attorneys.

The agreement requires Clemetson, 51, to notify the state medical board if he applies for a medical license in another state. He would be required to undergo an inpatient substance-abuse evaluation if he applies for reinstatement of an active license in Maine.

The board first put Clemetson on a yearlong probation in June 2001 after learning that he had threatened to kill a teenage patient with prescription drugs and failed to attend to his patients “in a timely manner.”

Clemetson’s license was suspended in May after the board received reports that he was having trouble managing his office and may have been suffering from a substance abuse problem.

A board-appointed psychologist found that Clemetson should not practice independently until his substance-abuse problem was resolved.

Clemetson drew national attention earlier this year when he sued Alaska Airlines for an apology for the January 2000 crash that killed his brother, David Clemetson of Seattle, and his family.

Paterson said he does not know whether Clemetson ever received the apology, but said he recently was awarded a substantial sum from the airline and from the settlement from a suit his parents filed against the airline.

That money will allow Clemetson to re-evaluate his career plans and his own psychological needs, Paterson said.