Tarasoff liability: its impact for working with patients who threaten others

Few court rulings can have had the international impact on mental health professionals than the case of Tarasoff in the U.S.A. For psychiatric nurses the issues pertaining to this case affects the everyday working practices for those working with patients who, at one stage or another, threaten the welfare of others. This is as much the case for forensic psychiatric nurses as it is for general psychiatric nurses, and indeed any nurse who receives a threat, regarding a third party, from a patient. This paper sets out the brief history of the Tarasoff case and highlights the main issues for practitioners. Tarasoff and the problem of social control is discussed and the professional concerns regarding the prediction of violence and the duty to third parties are debated. The ramifications of the Tarasoff case, in terms of its restrictions and extensions, are outlined, and the impact for carers is discussed.