PSYCH257 Lecture : Mental Health Services Lecture and textbook notes (ch. 16) which details legal and ethical issues, ethical treatment and clinical practice guidelines.
16 Oct 2011
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Ethical dilemmas faced: abuse, inadequate treatment, etc. Civil commitment laws: legal proceedings that determine a person has a mental disorder and may be hospitalised, even involuntarily: each province and territory has its own civil commitment laws. Under police power: government takes responsibility for protecting public health, safety and welfare. Usually one or two physicians or psychiatrists must conduct an assessment and agree that the person meets criteria for commitment: those deemed suitable for commitment have alternatives like compulsory community treatments. Main goal is to prevent relapse and provide care. Individual in question must be notified of the civil commitment process. Jury verdicts biased on: whether the defendant killed her spouse during a fight or not; and whether testimony on battered woman syndrome or social context of the battered woman was provided. Criminal commitment: legal procedure by which a person who is found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder must be confined in a psychiatric hospital.
