Theory can be relevant: an overview of bioethics for the practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Familiarity with medical ethical theory and the history of bioethics is helpful for the understanding of the current state of bioethics, as well as possible future developments that will affect physicians and patients alike. This article reviews major schools of thought in bioethics and their relevance to clinical work with children, adolescents, and families. Child and adolescent psychiatrists need to be familiar with major ethical issues in general medicine, psychiatry, and pediatrics, in addition to those controversies that are more specific to their subspecialty. Employing a systematic approach for the identification and analysis of ethical concerns, such as the Four Topics Model of Jonsen and colleagues, improves child and adolescent psychiatrists' confidence that they are aware of ethical quandaries in practice and are addressing these issues in a transparent, well-informed manner.
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 492 Ponce de Leon Manor NE, Atlanta, GA 30307, USA. dellml@comcast.net
Mary Lynn
ML
Dell
Kathy
K
Kinlaw
D000293:Adolescent; D000296:Adolescent Psychiatry / Q000941:ethics*; D032764:Casuistry; D002648:Child; D002665:Child Psychiatry / Q000941:ethics*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D028663:Ethical Theory; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005260:Female; D019513:Feminism; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000941:ethics; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012945:Social Values; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology