Ethics of Psychiatry

This subject is not offered in 2013.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.
It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This Unit will provide an introduction to the theory and practice of ethical decision-making in clinical psychiatry. Themes will extend over a wide terrain but cover ethical aspects of the psychiatrist – patient relationship, diagnosis, suicide, confidentiality, treatment in psychiatry, resource allocation and justice, child and adolescent psychiatry, psychogeriatrics and code of ethics.

• To understand salient concepts in moral philosophy which constitute a basis for ethical reasoning and are relevant to clinical practice
• To identify the many ethical problems in clinical psychiatry that can be analysed in a systematic way
• To demonstrate the ability to reach balanced ethical judgements through critical appraisal of competing theories
• To enhance moral sensitivity to ethical issues that might otherwise be regarded as purely clinical
• To cope with anxiety regarding difficult-to-resolve ethical dilemmas in clinical psychiatry
• To appreciate the value (and limitations) of codes of ethics and clinical guidelines

1500 word assignment (100%)

Psychiatric Ethics, eds S.Bloch and S. Green, 4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2006

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.