Some ethical considerations in defensive psychiatry: a case study.
Involuntary admission of a patient deemed dangerous may be motivated by a wish to protect the patient and others from potential violence-or by a practitioner's wish to limit personal liability. Evidence is offered to suggest that the practice of defensive psychiatry is not uncommon, and a case demonstrating the role of professional self-protection in an involuntary commitment decision is presented. Procedural modifications in the commitment process are proposed as a means of protecting patients' civil liberties.
Brown
J
J
Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
Rayne
J T
JT
D000368:Aged; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D003675:Defensive Medicine / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D010259:Paranoid Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014754:Violence