Doctor’s license revoked

PORTLAND – A prominent Portland psychiatrist is losing his medical license after a state board determined he engaged in “unprofessional and incompetent” conduct during his treatment of a patient in the past decade.

The Board of Licensure in Medicine found that Dr. Carl D. Metzger compromised the doctor-patient relationship, scheduled and charged for unauthorized appointments, and encouraged inappropriate dependencies.

The complaint filed in April 2002 involves treatment of a single family over a decade, said Randal Manning, the board’s executive director. The case did not involve children, drugs or inappropriate involvement with a patient.

Metzger is a parenting consultant with a practice in Portland’s Old Port. He is the author of “The Secret to Happy Children and Grandchildren” and the “Good Parenting Guide” and was the host of a radio talk show for 10 years.

Specific allegations have not been disclosed, but Metzger said he plans to appeal the board’s ruling.

Metzger, who characterized the issue as a matter of psychological and philosophical differences, questioned how his behavior could have warranted a “Draconian” response after months of waiting for the board to rule.

“The board basically kept it on the shelf until the hearing,” Metzger said. “That made me baffled and shocked, that something would then warrant me being punished in the most extreme form.”

The appointments were worth about $100,000, but Metzger said he accommodated the family for other sessions worth well over $400,000 over 13 years.