How to complain about a psychiatrist

Choose a route that matches your concern

You might want an explanation, an apology, a change in how the service communicates, or an assessment of whether care was unsafe. Name that goal before filling in a form. Different bodies have different powers; sending the same account everywhere can leave you with several processes to manage.

These are starting questions, not a legal classification of your experience. For example, the UK GMC separates patient-safety concerns from service, fee and records disputes. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor; a psychologist, counsellor or other professional may have a different regulator. Check the professional's registration and the place where care was provided, including for online appointments.

If your main goal is a fresh opinion or a different clinician, our guide to changing psychiatrists covers that handover. You can still ask about a complaint when you believe something needs investigation.

Prepare an account without having to prove everything yourself

You do not need to diagnose what went wrong or write like a lawyer. Start with what you remember. If a date is approximate or you are unsure of the exact words, say so. Describe what you experienced separately from what you think may explain it.

The NHS complaints ombudsman's preparation tips recommend identifying the event, people, timing, location and impact, and deciding what you want the service to do. Here is an original planning structure you can adapt:

1. Identify the appointment or period of care

   Note the clinician's name, service, approximate date and whether the contact was in person, by phone or online. Add a patient or appointment reference if the receiving organisation asks for it.

2. Describe the specific concern

   Write a few sentences about the action, words or missing follow-up that concerned you. If there were several events, put them in date order and number the issues.

3. Explain the effect on you

   Describe the practical impact: a question left unanswered, uncertainty about follow-up, additional costs or difficulty feeling safe in an appointment. Distinguish known consequences from worries about what might happen.

4. List supporting material you already have

   Examples include appointment messages, letters, invoices or your own contemporaneous notes. Keep originals and label copies. Ask which documents are needed and how to submit them securely; avoid sending your entire history by default.

Missing a document does not mean you must abandon the question. Ask the organisation what it needs and whether it can request records. If you want your own copy, see how to get your mental health records. Check any complaint deadline while waiting for documents.

A psychiatrist complaint letter you can adapt

Keep the first version focused enough for someone unfamiliar with your care to understand. Put your main concerns and requested response near the top, then attach a chronology if needed. This example is a writing aid, not a legal form or a finding of wrongdoing.

For a regulator, use its required form and explain the professional conduct or safety concern. Ask about its powers before requesting a particular outcome. You do not need to claim a legal breach to ask whether your concern falls within its remit.

If a direct conversation feels manageable, you can ask for an explanation first. If it feels unsafe or inappropriate, describe that to the complaints body or an advocate. Ahpra explicitly recognises that direct contact with a practitioner is not always possible or comfortable.

Where to complain about a psychiatrist, by country

Use the official links to confirm the current procedure, jurisdiction and any deadline. Public and private care may follow different service-complaint routes. None of these organisations can promise a particular finding from a complaint.

Go to: United States · United Kingdom · Australia · Canada · New Zealand.

United States: find the relevant state medical board

Use the Federation of State Medical Boards directory to find a state or territorial board and its complaint instructions. Confirm which board covers the psychiatrist and the care in question, especially after a move or telehealth appointment. MD and DO licensing arrangements can differ.

The FSMB explains that boards assess their authority to investigate, gather information and decide whether action is warranted. A clinic or hospital complaints team may be the more direct contact for service problems. Check the specific board's deadlines and required documents.

A regulatory complaint is separate from a damages claim. For example, the Medical Board of California says it cannot obtain medical care or malpractice compensation for you.

United Kingdom: distinguish NHS complaints from GMC concerns

England: NHS guidance allows a complaint to the service provider or commissioner, not both for the same complaint. The local integrated care board is a starting point for many commissioned services. PALS can help with hospital concerns; free NHS complaints advocacy is also available. Complaints are normally made within 12 months of the event or becoming aware of it, with possible extensions. Unresolved complaints can go to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman after the local process.

Other UK nations and private care: use the GMC's country-specific help pages to identify the relevant route for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. For private care, ask the provider about its complaints and independent review arrangements; do not assume the NHS England process applies.

The GMC accepts concerns about risks to patient safety across the UK, but cannot order a different treatment or resolve fee disputes. In England, the CQC has a specific route for complaints about use of the Mental Health Act, such as detention or community treatment orders. A complaint is not a substitute for advice on challenging detention; ask for specialist advocacy or legal help promptly if that is your goal.

Australia: check the state or territory

Ahpra's guide to raising a concern distinguishes individual practitioner safety or conduct from complaints about a service or organisation. It directs people with service, fee or similar disputes to state and territory health complaints bodies.

For practitioner concerns in the ACT, Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria or Western Australia, Ahpra is a starting point. In New South Wales, its page directs people to the Health Care Complaints Commission or Health Professional Councils Authority; in Queensland, to the Office of the Health Ombudsman. Follow the linked local instructions and ask which body should receive your particular concern.

Canada: use the provincial or territorial medical regulator

The FMRAC member list identifies Canada's medical regulatory authorities. Select the province or territory relevant to your care and check its process. A professional association or specialist college is not necessarily the licensing regulator that handles complaints.

Ontario example: the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) accepts concerns about doctors. It suggests local resolution where appropriate, such as through a hospital patient experience team, and explains what to do when that is not possible or has failed. CPSO says there is no filing time limit in Ontario, but encourages early contact because evidence can become harder to obtain. Do not apply that rule to other provinces, territories or legal claims.

New Zealand: advocacy and the Health and Disability Commissioner

The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) considers the quality of health and disability services, including mental health care. Options include contacting the provider, using an advocate or complaining to HDC when local resolution has not worked or is not appropriate.

The Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service offers free support to help you raise a concern. HDC may refer a complaint, seek local resolution, investigate or take no further action. It cannot award compensation or refunds; health-information privacy issues usually belong with the Privacy Commissioner. Check the route before submitting.

Elsewhere: ask the health ministry, medical licensing authority or recognised patient advocacy service where complaints about doctors and mental health services are handled. Verify that the organisation covers the location, profession and issue involved.

Ask who will see your complaint and what support is available

Before sending sensitive information, ask who will receive it, what the clinician will be told and whether you can discuss the process without making a formal complaint yet. A confidential process does not necessarily mean an anonymous complaint. For example, CPSO says it notifies the doctor and obtains their response.

If you fear an unwanted response or disclosure, describe that concern to the receiving body before submitting. Ask whether it can protect particular contact details and what it cannot withhold. Do not rely on a promise that every complaint stays private or that withdrawing a complaint will automatically stop an investigation.

You can ask about an advocate, interpreter, a support person at meetings, written communication or breaks. If someone helps you, agree what they may share and receive. HDC asks people complaining for someone else to show that person's support and agreement to information sharing. Requirements differ elsewhere; check the form rather than assuming a relative can act without consent.

Keep appointments and medication needs in a separate care plan

You may still need treatment while the complaint is being considered. Whether you live with depression, bipolarity or another mental health condition, practical continuity matters. Ask the service to identify a contact for appointments, prescriptions, monitoring and urgent questions.

If you want a new clinician, arrange the transfer explicitly using our psychiatrist handover checklist. A complaint does not book an appointment elsewhere. If access is the immediate obstacle, our guide to finding psychiatric care when appointments are unavailable gives other starting points.

NIMH advises talking with a health professional before stopping prescribed medication. Do not change treatment to manage a dispute. Seek clinical advice about symptoms, side effects or a supply gap, and urgent local medical help if you become seriously unwell.

What happens after you submit a complaint?

Save the submitted version, attachments, date and any confirmation number. Ask when you should expect an acknowledgement or update and how to add information. A receipt means the organisation has received your account; it does not establish that the allegations have been upheld.

The FSMB describes assessment, information gathering and possible regulatory action, while stressing that state processes differ. A complaint may also be redirected or closed. Ask for the reasons for a decision and the available review route, including its deadline, if you do not understand the outcome.

Keep follow-up messages tied to the reference number. If a promised update does not arrive, ask the named contact for the current stage and next expected communication. Keep new clinical questions with the care team so they are not lost inside a complaints correspondence thread.

If you are considering legal action or compensation, get local legal advice early. Do not assume that filing a service or regulatory complaint pauses any other deadline. This guide does not assess whether negligence, discrimination or another legal breach occurred in your case.