Patients of a covington, kentucky psychiatrist jailed on a charge he stabbed a woman with a sword have tried to keep appointments with him in jail.

Kenton County jail Chief Deputy Scott Colvin said deputies have had to turn away several patients of Douglas Rank, charged with firstdegree assault in an attack on a 32-year-old woman.

Colvin told the Kentucky Enquirer that some patients have asked if they could drop off Rank's prescription pad at the jail so he could write their prescriptions.

Colvin said the requests have been denied, as prisoners are not allowed to practice their trade in jail.

At a hearing, witnesses said the psychiatrist towered over his bloodied patient with a sword in both hands before he was distracted and had the weapon wrestled away from him. "He tried to stab down at her when I yelled at him to stop," witness Doug Hamilton said. "Then I got him focused on me when I yelled at him, then he said, 'I'll kill you too,'and I said, 'Now we don't want that.'"

Source: The Kentucky Enquirer, http://www.nky.com

Now, of course, we don't know the entire story behind this doctor/patient altercation, but the fact remains that he was caught "red-handed" and jailed for this crime. If you were a patient of his, you would have to be desperate, indeed, to show up at the jail expecting to get a prescriptions signed. So allow me to point out an important safety tip: if your doctor has been charged and arrested for committing a violent crime, it's probably in your best interest to find another one.

I suspect that patients tend to get attached to one particular doctor, especially ones undergoing therapy, but records and prescriptions can be transfered to any physician you choose and your sessions can continue. However, if my psychiatrist was jailed for going berserk, I'd be inclined to get a second opinion about my prescription, as well. Sticking with the doctor you know may feel comfortable, but sometimes you just have to explore your options.

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