By Richard Dobson, MD, Guest Columnist

In a recent column, I described the diversion of blame for the opioid crisis as an example of “Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another,” a psychiatric condition in which a person imposes an illness on someone who is not really sick.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a plea deal in which a former police chief in Florida pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of innocent people by making false arrests “under color of law.” I think there are some striking parallels between the way these innocent victims were treated and the way that chronic pain patients and their doctors are treated today.



For several years, Chief Raimundo Atesiano and officers in the Biscayne Park police department conspired to arrest innocent people, falsely accusing them of committing burglaries and robberies. The arrests were based on phony evidence and confessions, all because Atesiano wanted to show he was tough on crime and solving cases. Several officers plead guilty to the conspiracy and were prepared to testify against Artesiano when he entered his plea.

Let’s examine the logic of this case:

“A” is an innocent person who has committed no crime. “B” is a criminal who has burglarized homes and cars. “C” is a person in authority who blames “A” for the crimes committed by “B.”

“C” has not been able to apprehend “B” and does not have any leads on how to catch him. However, by diverting blame to “A”, “C” can claim that he has a much higher rate of solving crimes. “C” is rewarded for this illegal behavior because the citizens of Biscayne Park believe the police department is doing a much better job than it actually is.