Legal and Ethical Issues for Mental Health Professionals: Volume I: Understanding Confidentiality, Privilege, Reporting, and Duty to Warn

2013 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Duty To Warn ◽  
Legal And Ethical Issues

Psychiatric Ethics

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Child And Adolescent Psychiatry ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Psychiatric Research ◽  
Liaison Psychiatry

Ethical issues inherent in psychiatric research and clinical practice are invariably complex and multifaceted. Well-reasoned ethical decision-making is essential to deal effectively with patients and enhance their care. Drawing on the positive reception of Psychiatric Ethics since its first publication in 1981, this highly anticipated fifth edition offers psychiatrists and other mental health professionals a coherent guide to dealing with the diverse ethical issues that challenge them. This edition has been substantially updated to reflect the many changes that have occurred in the field during the past decade. Its 25 chapters are grouped in three sections, as follows: 1) clinical practice in child and adolescent psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, psychogeriatrics, community psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry; 2) relevant basic sciences such as neuroethics and genetics; and 3) philosophical and social contexts including the history of ethics in psychiatry and the nature of professionalism. Principal aspects of clinical practice in general, such as confidentiality, boundary violations, and involuntary treatment, are covered comprehensively, as is a new chapter on diagnosis. Given the contributors’ expertise in their respective fields, Psychiatric Ethics will undoubtedly continue to serve as a significant resource for all mental health professionals, whatever the role they play in psychiatry. It will also benefit students of moral philosophy in their professional pursuits.

scholarly journals It is ethical to diagnose a public figure one has not personally examined

2018 ◽  
Vol 213 (5) ◽  
pp. 633-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gartner ◽  
Alex Langford ◽  
Aileen O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
British Journal ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Figure ◽  
Duty To Warn ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Figures ◽  
The Press

SummaryShould psychiatrists be able to speculate in the press or social media about their theories? John Gartner argues the risk to warn the public of concerns about public figures overrides the duty of confidentiality; whereas Alex Langford suggests this is beyond the ethical remit of psychiatric practice.Declaration of interestA.O'B is joint debates and analysis Editor of the British Journal of Psychiatry. J.G. is the founder of Duty To Warn, an association of mental health professionals who advocate the president's removal under the 25th Amendment on the grounds that he is psychologically unfit and dangerous.

Disability Evaluations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn Price
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Work Capacity ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Fitness For Duty ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Independent Medical Examination

Mental health professionals frequently participate in the disability application process. Standards and requirements for a finding of disability may vary considerably from one context to another. A disability carrier may request that a mental health professional perform an independent medical examination. This chapter discusses the concepts of work capacity, functional impairment, and disability as they apply to disability evaluations performed for the most common types of disability insurers (Social Security, workers’ compensation, and private insurers), as well as work-related evaluations involving the Americans with Disabilities Act, fitness for duty and return to work, and disability in the context of litigation. Ethical issues in performing disability evaluations are addressed, including differences in the roles of the treating clinician and the independent forensic evaluator and management of situations where the evaluator’s opinion differs from that of the claimant and the claimant’s attorney.

Microanalysis: The Ethical Minefield

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S612-S612
Author(s):  
R. Nagpal ◽  
A.K. Mital
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
The Will ◽  
Competing Interest

Mental health professionals had always yearned for an intervention, which was restricted to them alone, was safe and had a commercial potential. Narco analysis or chemical hypnosis with or without the supervision of an anesthetist presented such an opportunity in India's largely poorly regulated medical practice. The turning point however was the unrestricted use of narco analysis for forensic reasons often against the will of the recipient that caught the attention of the judiciary. Professionals in candid confessions spoke of the tool replacing normal polite enquiries and unnecessary voyeuristic information being fettered out. Anecdotal evidence suggested police resorting to this tool without client consent or judicial permission. A series of fiats after searching enquiry on the statute has led to complete disarray. The legal issues have relegated the ethical issues of consent, the usefulness of “forced” information, the aftermath of “forced” information to the backburner. Currently, the tool is regulated by the judiciary and selectively applied with consent. In the clinical setting, it is fast disappearing.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Recovery-Oriented Intersectoral Care in Mental Health: As Perceived by Healthcare Professionals and Users

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 8777
Author(s):  
Kim Jørgensen ◽  
Tonie Rasmussen ◽  
Morten Hansen ◽  
Kate Andreasson ◽  
Bengt Karlsson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Study Participant ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Written Information ◽  
Group Interviews

This study aimed to explore how mental health professionals and users perceive recovery-oriented intersectoral care when comparing mental health hospitals and community mental healthcare. Methodological design: Five audio-recorded focus group interviews of nurses, other health professionals and users were explored using manifest and latent content analysis. Ethical issues and approval: The study was designed in accordance with the ethical principles of the Helsinki Declaration and Danish law. Each study participant in the two intersectoral sectors gave their informed consent after verbal and written information was provided. Findings: From the health professionals’ perspective, the main theme informed by subthemes and categories was formulated: ‘Recovery-oriented intersectoral care requires more coordination and desire for collaboration’. Two subthemes were subsequently formulated: ‘The users´ perspective of the centre’ and ‘Need for a common agenda and understanding of recovery-oriented intersectoral care’. From the users´ perspective, the main theme was formulated as: ‘Recovery-oriented intersectoral care in tension between medical- and holistically oriented care’. This theme was informed by two subthemes: ‘The users´ perspective is not in focus’ and ‘A trusting relationship and a holistic approach brings coherence’. Conclusions: This study reveals that health professionals want to work in a recovery-oriented manner in intersectoral care, but several challenges appear which make achieving this aim difficult. A common understanding of recovery and how it should be carried out in intersectoral care does not exist. Care decisions are primarily made paternalistically, where the users’ and relatives’ voices are ignored. In an attempt to create coherence across sectors, intersectoral network meetings have been established with health professionals from both sectors. However, the meetings are characterised by a lack of a clear purpose regarding the meeting structure and content, and users are only minimally involved. Our results can contribute to dealing with the challenges of incorporating recovery-oriented intersectoral care as an ideology in all psychiatric and municipal contexts and is, therefore, important for health professionals and users.

Medical ethics and the judicial coerced treatment of sexual abusers

1998 ◽  
Vol 13 (S3) ◽  
pp. 121s-124s ◽  
Author(s):  
P Cosyns
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Professional Ethics ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Coerced Treatment ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
The Individual

SummaryThe increasing demand for judicial coerced treatment of sexual abusers constitutes a new challenge for mental health professionals. The discussed controversial ethical issues are the influence of coercion on the treatment, the motivation of patient as well as therapist, confidentiality and hormonal treatment. Social control is not the primary concern of therapists and any treatment must be beneficial to the individual patient. The coerced treatment of sexual abusers requests an agreement between psychiatric and judicial authorities with respect for their respective professional ethics.

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