Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Why confidentiality in mental health
Why confidentiality in mental health
Why confidentiality in mental health
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Why confidentiality in mental health
Medical Emancipation for Minors
Robert Heinlein once said, “there is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.” Medical emancipation is something many people consider a minor problem or not worthy of consideration because it is unnecessary, when in reality hundreds of people fight for it. Although many people believe medical emancipation for minors is unjust, minors deserve rights because they will seek more help, doctors protect their medical privacy, and they should have the legal control.
Minors are more likely to seek medical help if their parent or guardian will remain unnotified. Recent studies have shown, “only forty-five percent of adolescents surveyed would seek medical care for depression if parental notification was required” (Loxterman n.pg.). This leaves about
…show more content…
“‘Minors consent laws are extremely important’, argues Abigail English, director of the center for Adolescent Health and the Law. ‘They encourage young people to seek health care services they need and enable them to talk candidly with their providers’” ( Boonstra and Nash n.pg.). Abigail English, focuses her research on what is best in the world of healthcare, she found that giving minors medical privacy has proven to have more positive results. Studies have shown, “of physicians surveyed, seventy-five percent favored confidential treatment for adolescents” (Loxterman n.pg.). Doctors understand that the information their patients share is often embarrassing or touchy so they strongly feel the need to keep it private. They fear if they do not, the patient will be hesitant to share what is actually going on. Also, a study done by the American Medical Association found that doctors more heavily support medical privacy for a minor than the general
In America, the legal age to sign off on any medical consent is 18 years of age. Seventeen year olds should be able to compose their own medical decisions, and sign off on their own medical consents. Power should land in their hands, accompanied by the professional advice of a doctor. It is your body, be compelled to fabricate a decision without having to have your parent’s signature.
Although medicine is a field that is constantly evolving and we have obtained a vast amount of knowledge since Hippocrates’ era, it is telling to see that confidentiality is consistently valued in the care for patients. Beauchamp and Childress highlight the need for consent to divulge patient information. This shows how confidentiality promotes the autonomy of the patient, thus promoting a patient centered model where the patient holds power in the physician-patient relationship. This is a point that is further stressed by Ludwig and Burkie. The GMC includes the importance of confidentiality in maintaining the trust that both patients and the public have for doctors. This is vital for public heath because a general mistrust for doctors can form a culture where individuals refrain from seeking medical advice. This could potentially increase the prevalence of disease and mortality rates. It is seen that various methodologies indirectly support the concept of confidentiality, implying that its ethical basis is principally inarguable. In the UK patient privacy is enforced by the law and the two aforementioned cases demonstrate the severe consequences that can ensue when health professionals breach confidentiality. In both cases there was an elaborate procedure following the breach which evaluated the situation and decided the punishment. It necessary to have such
"Minors Access to Contraceptive Health Care." Can I Get Birth Control Without Parent Permission?. 12 05 2005. Web. 11 Jan 2010. .
According to the article “When Student Become Patients Privacy Suffers" the author said that” Yale health's website informs parents that they cannot access their children's health information without a signed consent form", and I agree with this statement. As we know FERPA and HIPAA in order the law that provides privacy protection, and patients have right to limit to their information unless they don't want to share. For example, Andrea was suffering from anxiety and depression, after her bad condition, the university notifies her parents without her permission, even they know her relationship with her family. The condition became worst when her parents did not allow her to see psychiatric after she returned home. Personally, I know sometimes,
Respecting a person’s sovereignty is essential when working in the medical field. The “rules” of upholding one’s autonomy is to respect the privacy of others, to not lie, to maintain confidentiality, to obtain consent, and to advise one when needed. Physicians should dismiss a person lacking the capacity to make decisions for themselves however it will defy the “ to obtain consent” and “to respect the privacy of others”
In this article, the author openly questions whether it is a good idea to let high school or college students trying to pursue a medical career shadow physicians by sharing her personal experience and research results. She indicates that the physician shadowing tradition goes back more than 60 years and involves not only medical or pre-med student, but also high school teenagers (Kitsis, 2013). Although the author highly doubts the actual benefit from physician shadowing and the problem of patient privacy, I still think physician shadowing is a necessary activity for both students and the health system.
...e terminally ill. This right would allow them to leave this earth with dignity, save their families from financial ruin, and relieve them of insufferable pain. To give competent, terminally-ill adults this necessary right is to give them the autonomy to close the book on a life well-lived.
Obtaining consent, as suggested by Eyal (2012), also promotes patient’s trust in medical procedures that they are likely to receive as well as their likelihood to comply adequately with medical advice or participate in medical research. It is evident that obtaining a verbal consent from Erick was a testimony to his trust and willingness to comply with the medical advice, which I had given him such as keeping his wound dry and request painkillers if he were in
These minor children need guidance and support in order to sustain a healthy lifestyle. By informing them of these programs, mental health awareness, and relational stability can have a positive impact on their mental health risks. Apa.org stated that “Psychologists have also designed programs that effectively engage families, schools and communities, that is, the critical social supports that can guarantee lasting well-being for children and youth” (2017). This can create positive factors that will help them engage in better mental health over all with their most common social
In case study of Zora (age 14), the decision of whether to keep the information shared during the session confidential or disclose it to the parents is a daunting ethical challenge that requires the psychologist to balance tensions between the obligations to protect the welfare of the adolescent. The confidential rights of minors and adolescents ages 12-16 can be confusing to many professionals that are treating this age group due to the laws and guidelines every state has pertaining to this age group (Fisher, 2013). Even though adolescents are considered to have more mental capacity for decision making than that of younger children, but they are not considered to be adults (Fisher, 2013). There are many specific areas that are needed to consider in regards to consent and confidentiality that are difficult for teens, parents, health care professionals, and lawmakers
„X Parental notification laws that require medical personnel to notify a minor's parent(s) of her i...
...er generations do not have anything to worry about, “they are not old enough”, until they go into adulthood. Majority of teenagers fall into the depth of mild depression due to stress or life struggles that come across in their life. As a community we should pay attention to children and teenagers: their behavior, performance in school, appetite and weight, energy and activity, just basically their overall health. Parents should speak to children and teenagers and willingly become open but not come as forced. Also, teachers should watch out for their students being aware of the student’s actions and take action if noticing signs of depression. No human being in the world, especially young children, should feel hopeless and lonely; building awareness to help those in need.
Confidentiality is an ethical concern. The fundamental intent is to protect a client's right to privacy by ensuring that matters disclosed to a professional counselor not be relayed to others without the informed consent of the client. In discussing confidentiality, therapists also hope to encourage communication. Neither privacy nor confidentiality, however, are absolute rights, especially in the case of minors. There are fundamental exceptions, some involving ethical considerations and some involving legalities. Privileged communication is a legal concept. It addresses legal rights protecting clients from having their disclosures to certain professionals revealed during legal proceedings without their
The idea of “the child” is constantly evolving, and children appear to be maturing more rapidly each year. As a response, laws pertaining to minors have had to keep up with these social changes. In the health care context, the competency of children is constantly scrutinized and challenged. Accordingly, reforms to past laws that deemed minors lacked decisional capacity have resulted in the “mature minor” doctrine. Although this doctrine allows minors a degree of independence in the decision-making process it maintains many grey areas. The age of consent is inconsistent across provinces and territories, and the guidelines used to assess competence are vague and sometimes arbitrary. With such inconsistency in the measuring of adolescent competence, it brings me to question the competence granted freely to adults. To rightfully judge competence there must be a prototype, something that I and others can form a explicit definition around. With what I have collected, since individuals gain decision-making autonomy when they reach the age of consent, than the defining characteristic of comp...
Parents need to take responsibility for their child’s action. Parents need to stop caring what others are going to think if their child needs mental health care. They cannot put the blame and responsibility on the mental healthcare professionals. They should not expect it, to be up to the mental healthcare system to discipline their children. Teen suicide is a problem everywhere, not just in schools or small towns or just those kids with problems or one parent households.