The Mexican prescribed psychiatric medications to several patients, even though she did not have the necessary certificate to do so.
The name of Marilyn Cote has been in the media center of Mexico over the past week. It is about a woman who, for years, pretended to be psychiatrist in the state of Puebla and that he claimed to have studied at prestigious international universities, including Harvard.
Using videos in English, photoshopped photos of herself and other foreign specialists, as well as fake diplomas, Cote managed to build the image of a professional widely recognized not only in Mexico, but also in the rest of the world.
Its true trajectory was revealed later, through the social networks a series of complaints were filed against him.
Who is Marilyn Côté
Côté promoted his psychiatric services “Marilyn Côté Neuropsychology Clinic” a clinic located in Puebla.
The woman also promised she could cure depression “in seven days” and anxiety in “three or four days.” The complaints exposed on social networks also indicate that she allegedly prescribed medication to treat mental disorders to several patients who came to see her.
Inside your office website Cote described that she had been director of the Center for Mental Disorders at the University of Oslo, of which she was allegedly an “honorary member”, that she had a doctorate in medicine and that she had been awarded as the best specialist in countries such as the United States and the Netherlands. “He created and patented worldwide in 2012 the most frequent indicators of criminal profiling in the Rorschach test,” he emphasized.
According to The country the lawyer also affixed the logo of her clinic “Neuropsychology Clinic Marilyn Cote” to her prescriptions alongside those of Harvard and Oslo universities, with the aim of increasing the prestige of her professional image. He signed with the professional license numbers of surgeon, psychiatrist and clinical psychologist.
Although it has been confirmed that he has several studies, none of them correspond to that of a psychiatrist. . According to the Spanish newspaper, in 2000 he graduated lawyer at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla and in 2012 he did a master’s degree in forensics at the Free College of University Studies. Three years later, he obtained a Doctor of psychology at the Free School of Psychology.
These studies are approved by the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) of Mexico and each provides you with a specific professional identification number. The problem is that none of these professional license numbers match the ones used in his prescriptions, where he prescribed psychiatric medications.
That’s not all. In her orders, the lawyer also indicated that her clinic was located at Fifty Doctors Hospital which is a prestigious chain of medical centers.
Fifty Doctors Hospital denied any type of working relationship with Côté and announced legal action over the use of his image. “This person has never been a shareholder and has no connection with our hospitals,” they said in a statement.
Another aspect that caused a stir is that on the website of Côté’s office there are photos of specialists supposedly part of his team. However, These are doctors who provide services in other countries around the world, such as Russia, whose images have been photoshopped to make it appear that they were wearing Mexican clinic uniforms.
The lawyer also posted photos on social networks where she appears with the singer Laura Pausini and wrote messages suggesting they had a very close relationship. But when internet users asked the Italian artist if she really knew Cote, she denied it.
“A lot of people ask me that, I don’t understand why. I honestly have no idea who he is, but I see a few pictures with me on his page. Maybe she’s a fan! Why does everyone ask me this? “Can you explain to me what’s happening to this lady?” » Pausini noted on Instagram.
And how was the deception revealed? It all started on November 5, when X’s account called Medical charlatans which exposes people posing as medical professionals, shared posts revealing the lawyer’s fraud.
What Marilyn Cote, the fake psychiatrist, responded to
In an interview with the media 24 Horas, Cote assured that he had valid titles, without specifying which ones, and that he would present them to the Puebla authorities.
“I have no problem, I have totally real, totally reliable documents that I will obviously only present to the judicial authority and the corresponding authority.” the woman said, adding that her studies are not included in the professional registry in Mexico because she did not study in that country.
What will happen to Marilyn Côté
After the case of the fake psychiatrist was revealed, the The Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris) of Mexico visited his office and decided to close it permanently. .
According to a press release, commission officials confirmed during the visit that “the establishment did not have an operating notice, a health license, nor the academic certification of staff, necessary to carry out the services that he proposes.
The organization added that it would file a complaint for usurpation of functions against the lawyer. If this comes to fruition, he faces a sentence of up to six years in prison.
On the other hand, the Puebla Attorney General’s Office announced that an investigation would be opened into the events, although there is still no formal criminal complaint against Cote.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
