Term Paper on Treatment of Mentally Ill
(First
3 Pages)
The
paper in your hands details the role of the principle autonomy and the
perspective of public safety in the treatment of the mentally ill. The
discussion has been led through examples, news and laws relating to the
treatment of mentally ill in the UK. The common language used for the mentally
ill is "he's sick", "you must be insane", "what a retard", etc. the actual
definition of a mentally ill is quite hard to decide. There are disagreements
even among the psychologists. Even those practitioners differ who are in the
same school of thought about whether or not a particular diagnosis applies. Not
only this but they also differ in their diagnoses as well. For example, a
neurologist may testify that the defendant had a brain tumor whereas a
psychiatrist may testify that the defendant has posttraumatic stress disorder.
Some view mental illness as a myth that requires normative judgment for their
assessment. However, a very simple definition of the mentally would be,
“A person is diagnosed mentally ill for deviation from ethical, social, or
political norms.”
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Principle Of Autonomy
The paper suggests that effective treatment including the form of psychotherapy
needs some form of autonomy on the part of the one treating the illness. This
principle connotes the air of confidence that is a very important ingredient
resulting in trust of the mentally ill on the practitioner. The patient needs to
be willing to make a frank and complete disclosure of facts, emotions, memories,
and fears and this he cannot possibly do without proper confidence and trust on
the psychotherapist or the practitioner. Mental illnesses are by their very
nature very sensitive for which individuals consult psychotherapists and proper
treatment can only result when full autonomy of confidential communications is
granted to the one treating. Any disclosure of such information may even result
in further falling in the abyss of mental black hole and disorders.
A survey (2001) of patients' experiences in the UK found they feel they are not
told about potential side effects and that doctors do not listen when they have
concerns. Psychiatric patients are given no say in their treatment -
particularly if they are from ethnic minority groups - a report by mental health
charity Mind says. Mind analyzed 500 "yellow cards" sent in by people with
mental health problems between March and June 2001, who had suffered adverse
side effects from their drugs.
U.S. Surgeon General reports (December 1999) highlight the importance of
confidentiality in the provision of mental health treatment as projected by the
U.S. Supreme Court (Jaffee v. Redmond, 1996). The Court’s language, in a
decision creating a psychotherapist privilege in Federal court, appears to leave
little doubt that there is broad legal protection for the principle of
confidentiality. State and Federal laws do protect the confidentiality of health
care information, including information created in providing mental health and
substance abuse treatment. Each profession that provides mental health treatment
embraces confidentiality as a core ethical principle. For example, the Code of
Ethics of the American Medical Association (AMA) states that “a physician . . .
shall safeguard a patient’s confidences within the restraints of the law”
(American Medical Association [AMA], 1996). The Ethical Principles of
Psychologists state, “psychologists have a primary obligation and take
reasonable precautions to respect . . . confidentiality rights” (American
Psychological Association, 1992).
Public Safety
Another very important are why proper treatment of the mentally ill is very
important is the public safety. A mentally ill can be a threat to the whole of
the societies at times. Major criminals are also found to be mentally ill. This
leads to public hazards as the ill engages into the covert behavior and try to
put in order what he/she sees as disordered and disrupted. There are many public
and social problems imposed by the mental illness. These include incapacitation
of individuals incapable of their own basic needs, so depressed as to the extent
of suicide. The mentally ill has disrupted family relationships often due to
burdens of care, disruption of ordinary day-to-day activities or threats of
harm. They also have disruptive influences in society and may be public
nuisances and may engage in offensive and antisocial behavior posing threat to
the lives and safety of others.
The principle of autonomy also erupts through these very threats that loom
around the society due to the very presence of the mentally ill. These threats
motivate psychological, medical and legal intervention in the lives of those
deemed mentally ill. And at times there need to be unauthorized intervention
into the lives of the mentally ill giving autonomy to the state or the
practitioners in the treatment of these mentally ill public hazards. This
further requires the involuntary commitment to mental hospitals, treatment
without their informed consent and the involuntary sterilization of the mentally
retarded.
......
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