Ethics in psychiatry: a view from the clinic

Decisions and interventions made in the course of psychiatric practice often have important ethical dimensions. Issues such as confidentiality, freedom of information, the duty to warn, double agentry, the patient's rights to treatment, and to refuse treatment are often identified in the context of inpatient psychiatry. In the practice of ambulatory psychiatry these issues are more easily ignored and therefore less frequently considered. The authors present six cases seen in an outpatient clinic of a community mental health program which illustrate ethical dilemmas in the six areas listed above. Questions raised by the cases and the clinic's interventions are discussed. Consequences for the patients and the clinic of the ethical decisions made in these are explored.