Ethics in Psychiatry Flashcards
Non-maleficence
Nonmaleficence means non-harming or inflicting the least harm possible to reach a beneficial outcome.
Eg:
Explaining side effects of treatment
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes. It is a form of consequentialism.
Utilitarianism holds that the most ethical choice is the one that will produce the greatest good for the greatest number
Utilitarianism also has trouble accounting for values such as justice and individual rights. For example, assume a hospital has four people whose lives depend upon receiving organ transplants: a heart, lungs, a kidney, and a liver. If a healthy person wanders into the hospital, his organs could be harvested to save four lives at the expense of one life. This would arguably produce the greatest good for the greatest number. But few would consider it an acceptable course of action, let alone the most ethical one.
Ethical/moral relativism
Moral relativism is the idea that there is no universal or absolute set of moral principles. It’s a version of morality that advocates “to each her own,” and those who follow it say, “Who am I to judge?”
Moral relativism can be understood in several ways.
Descriptive moral relativism, also known as cultural relativism, says that moral standards are culturally defined, which is generally true. Indeed, there may be a few values that seem nearly universal, such as honesty and respect, but many differences appear across cultures when people evaluate moral standards around the world.
Meta-ethical moral relativism states that there are no objective grounds for preferring the moral values of one culture over another. Societies make their moral choices based on their unique beliefs, customs, and practices. And, in fact, people tend to believe that the “right” moral values are the values that exist in their own culture.
Normative moral relativism is the idea that all societies should accept each other’s differing moral values, given that there are no universal moral principles. Most philosophers disagree however. For example, just because bribery is okay in some cultures doesn’t mean that other cultures cannot rightfully condemn it.
Moral relativism is on the opposite end of the continuum from moral absolutism, which says that there is always one right answer to any ethical question. Indeed, those who adhere to moral relativism would say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Value judgement
an assessment of something as good or bad in terms of one’s standards or priorities.
Justice
Justice, for many people, refers to fairness. But while justice is important to almost everyone, it means different things to different groups.
For instance, social justice is the notion that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social opportunities irrespective of race, gender, or religion. Distributive justice refers to the equitable allocation of assets in society. Environmental justice is the fair treatment of all people with regard to environmental burdens and benefits.
Restorative or corrective justice seeks to make whole those who have suffered unfairly. Retributive justice seeks to punish wrongdoers objectively and proportionately. And procedural justice refers to implementing legal decisions in accordance with fair and unbiased processes.
Justice is one of the most important moral values in the spheres of law and politics. Legal and political systems that maintain law and order are desirable, but they cannot accomplish either unless they also achieve justice.
Categorical imperatives
The categorical imperative (German: kategorischer Imperativ) is the central philosophical concept in the deontological moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant.
According to Kant, sentient beings occupy a special place in creation, and morality can be summed up in an imperative, or ultimate commandment of reason, from which all duties and obligations derive. He defined an imperative as any proposition declaring a certain action (or inaction) to be necessary.
privacy
It is unethical and illegal to share information discussed within the confines of the medical office, without the explicit and informed permission of the patient. In psychiatry, we often hear our patients’ innermost fears, worries, fantasies and desires. To a psychiatrist, patients’ often expose their vulnerabilities and discuss concerns that could expose them to the prevalent stigma in society. Were a physician not bound by the promise of confidentiality, the therapeutic relationship would be hindered, and treatment would be impeded.
Autonomy
Autonomy is Latin for “self-rule” We have an obligation to respect the autonomy of other persons, which is to respect the decisions made by other people concerning their own lives. This is also called the principle of human dignity.
Practical wisdom
Practical wisdom (Greek phronesis; sometimes translated ‘prudence’), says Aristotle, is ‘a. true and reasoned state of capacity to act with regard to the things that are good or bad. for man’ Nicomachean Ethics VI.5).
Practical wisdom is a true characteristic that is bound up with action, accompanied by reason, and concerned with things good and bad for a human being.
Practical wisdom is not concerned with the universals alone, but must also be acquainted with the particulars: it is bound up with action, and action concerns the particulars.
Practical wisdom is concerned with human things and with those that about which it is possible to deliberate.
He who [has practical wisdom] is skilled in aiming, in accord with calculation, at what is best for a human being in things attainable through action.
Knowing the telos of a role or objective. Perception An informed intellect Experience Deliberative skills Actions
Accountability
In ethics and governance, accountability is answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving.
