Is the involuntary commitment of the mentally ill morally proper? How can we determine proper psychiatric care in a managed health care system? And can a mental health professional violate patient's confidentiality when they believe a patient is a threat to someone? In six non-ideological essays, leading bioethicists, including one with practical experience in medical administration, search for clear moral and legal guidelines for dealing with the complex issues presented when treating mentally ill patients. Objective and readily understandable, Mental Illness and Public Health Care illuminates for the educated reader some of the key ethical issues facing mental health care professionals and provides convincing practical conclusions with real moral import.

Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
Mental Illness and Commitment.- Involuntary Outpatient Commitment.- Cognitive Behavioral and Pharmacological Interventions for Mood- and Anxiety-Related Problems: An Examination from an Existential Ethical Perspective.- Managing Values in Managed Behavioral Health Care: A Case Study.- The Changing Form of Psychiatric Care.- Tarasoff, Megan, and Mill: Preventing Harm to Others.