State Suspends License Of North Shore Celebrity Psychiatrist

SALEM, MA — The Massachusetts Board of Registration indefinitely suspended the medical license of Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist who was a Fox contributor until 2017 but, more recently, has been the target of multiple complaints of inappropriate sexual activity with patients. Four former patients have filed lawsuits against Ablow; he has denied those allegations, as well as complaints about other misconduct.

In its Wednesday ruling, the state medical licensing board said Ablow, 57, of Newburyport, posed an "immediate and serious threat to the public health, safety and welfare."

"The board alleges that Dr. Ablow engaged in sexual activity and boundary violations with multiple patients, diverted controlled substances from patients, engaged in disruptive behavior, including displaying and pointing a firearm on multiple occasions in a manner that scared an employee, and procured his license renewal fraudulently," the board said in a statement after it met on Wednesday.

A woman who answered the phone at Ablow's Newburyport office Thursday said he would not be commenting on the ruling or the pending lawsuits against him.

In February, two women filed lawsuits against Ablow alleging he abused his position while treating them for depression. The lawsuits were filed in Essex Superior Court in Salem and contained lurid details, including claims by one of the plaintiffs that Ablow hit her during sex and that another got a tattoo of his initials to show his "ownership" of the woman.

Ablow was a Fox News contributor until 2017, and once drew criticism for his on-air suggestion that then-First Lady Michelle Obama needed "to drop a few pounds." The new lawsuits follow a similar suit filed by a Salem woman against Ablow in July, and earlier suit filed in 2016 which is scheduled to go to trial later this year.

When the lawsuit was filed in July, Ablow denied the allegations in that lawsuit in an email to Patch. He claimed the woman, who is seeking $5 million in damages, omitted "certain key facts" when she filed her lawsuit.

"I categorically deny all the claims and look forward to being heard in court," said when Patch asked about the July lawsuit's claims.

Together, the four lawsuits claim that Ablow took advantage of women after gaining their trust. The lawsuits depict degrading sexual activities, some of which took place during sessions the woman were billed for. One woman claims Ablow said "I own you" and "You are my slave" while they were having sex.

At least three of women claim they moved to Massachusetts to be closer to his office, where he treated him with the controversial drug Ketamine. Ablow is a proponent of the drug, posting about its benefits on his Twitter page as recently as this month:

Ablow, of Newburyport, has written 15 books and numerous articles, both for medical journals and mainstream publications. In 2007 his book Inside The Mind of Scott Peterson, made the New York Times bestsellers list, catapulting his television career. Ablow hosted a short-lived, nationally syndicated talk show.

A 2012 commentary suggesting Newt Gingrich's three marriages made him more qualified to be president, followed by a commentary suggesting the 2012 World Cup was a plot by President Obama to distract Americans from scandals about the administration increased his profile and made him a regular fixture on Fox News Channel.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).