Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum
Published on: August 5, 2020
The therapeutic discharge: An approach to dealing with deceptive patients
John B Taylor1, Scott R Beach1, Nicholas Kontos1
1Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Objective:
Patients with factitious disorder or malingering behaviors pose particular problems in acute care settings. We sought to describe a manner to effectively discharge these patients and keep further harm, iatrogenic or otherwise, from being inflicted.
Method:
Once an indication has been identified, the therapeutic discharge can be carried out in a stepwise fashion, resulting in a safe discharge. We outlined how to prepare for, and execute, the therapeutic discharge, along with preemptive consideration of complications that may arise.
Results:
Consequences for the patient, physicians, and larger healthcare system are considered.
Conclusion:
The therapeutic discharge is a safe and effective procedure for patients with deception syndromes in acute care settings. Carrying it out is a necessary element of psychiatric residency and psychosomatic medicine fellowship training.
Related Concept Videos
Discharge Summary Forms
Here's a detailed look at the key components and guidelines for preparing a discharge summary:
Understanding Deception
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
Ethical Dilemmas II
Ethical Standards II
Nurses are entrusted with upholding various ethical principles and standards. Nurses forge solid therapeutic relationships using trust, empathy, autonomy, confidentiality, and professional competence.
Confidentiality is crucial, embodying respect for individual privacy...
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:

