Ethics in contemporary community psychiatry

Community psychiatry is a wonderful and rewarding career path that increasing numbers of psychiatrists are choosing to practice.14 This article was created to provide an orientation to the characteristics of contemporary community psychiatric practice that render it distinct in terms of ethical considerations. We defined and described community practice. We provided a framework based on classical medical ethics that can be used to consider challenges in particular community practice situations. We also offered special considerations of key areas in which community practice demands novel treatment methods coupled with special clinical expertise in assessing risks and benefits. We hope to have provided a discussion that supports a broadening of existing psychiatric ethical guidelines so that they are inclusive of the kinds of situations routinely encountered by community psychiatrists and other community mental health care professionals and paraprofessionals. It is our hope that ideas presented in this article will help to equip psychiatrists and their community teams to facilitate the successful rehabilitation and recovery of the individuals they serve.