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Mental Health & Violence

April 26, 2015 by center

Balancing Individual Rights vs. Public Safety

There is much discussion about the connection between mental health and violence. Recent incidents of gun violence by individuals with a mental or emotional disorder have led to pressure about changing both gun laws and civil commitment laws. Is the balance changing — moving away from protection of the individual rights of mental health patients and more toward protection of the public’s right to safety? How have the rights of Virginia mental health patients been affected by recent changes in Virginia’s laws?  How is our work as mental health professionals affected, as we balance a patient’s right to autonomy and confidentiality against the possibility that someone else might be harmed? How do we decide?

 

  I.  Separating Myths from Facts

II.   Individual Rights

Autonomy, Informed Consent, & Voluntariness
Privacy & Confidentiality
Justice & Equality

III. Practical Complications & Clinical Concerns

Difficulty With Violence Prediction & Risk Assessment
Clinical Uncertainty & Ambivalence
Violent Events Driving Legislative Change
Political & Media Pressures on Public Policy
Confusion About Legal Options
Limited Resources & Dwindling Funding

 IV.  Ethical & Professional Issues

Erosion of Confidentiality
Questions of Competence

  V.  Legal Issues

How Imminent is the Dangerousness?
Civil Commitment Laws
Involuntary Outpatient Commitment

VI. Recommended Solutions

Alternative Legal Options
Alternative Treatment Options
Proposal for Equitable Approaches to Potential Dangerousness
Preparing to Manage the Stresses of High-Risk Cases

Learning Goals:

1. Name some facts and some myths about the connection between mental health and violence.

2. Describe some impacts of the changes in Virginia’s involuntary commitment laws.

3. Indicate your role in affecting the balance between patients’ rights and public safety.

Filed Under: Workshop Archives

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continuing education for American Psychological Association The Center for Ethical Practice is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Center maintains responsibility for this program and its content.


continuing education for National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) The Center for Ethical Practice has been approved by National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 6768). The Center is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.


continuing education Association of Social Work BoardsThe Center for Ethical Practice (provider #1287), is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The Center for Ethical Practice maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 3/21/2021-3/21/2024.

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