News Notes: Psychiatrist With Attention Deficit Disorder Awarded Almost $1 Million

A psychiatrist suffering from attention deficit disorder has won $902,000 after suing his employer under state anti-discrimination laws for failing to accommodate his own psychological problems. Stanley Swenson Jr. worked at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center for 15 years. He claimed his condition made it difficult for him to keep up with patient charts and asked the hospital for a dictation service or two hours of quiet time a day to write reports. The hospital refused this accommodation, arguing unsuccessfully that doctors need to be available to patients at all times and that using a dictation service would delay access to patient records.