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Pages:
4 pages/≈1100 words
Sources:
3 Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Psychology
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
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Topic:

Psyc Ethics: Steps Legally Required For Psychiatric Hospitalization

Essay Instructions:

PSYC Ethics in Psychology
Final Case Essay
Instructions: The case for the final essay is presented below. As in previous essays, before writing your response, carefully read the case and make notes about professional ethical codes and Illinois statutes (laws) that apply. Make sure to base your essay on the professional ethical codes (especially the APA Ethical Principles & Code of Conduct) and Illinois statutes (laws) that apply. Answer questions completely, including the actions to be taken and the reasons for each. Also see the Essay Grading Rubric as a reminder on how the essay should be written and how it will be graded.
Due date: Must be submitted before Wednesday, December 6th. 
Case 
You are a psychologist working at a university student counseling center. A twenty-two year old female college student comes to you for psychotherapy. She is depressed and has been experiencing family and relationship conflicts. 
Your new client has a boyfriend whom she loves deeply and wants to marry. The boyfriend, however, thus far is unwilling to commit to marriage. Lately, it seems he wants to break off the relationship entirely. The client's parents disapprove of the boyfriend and are pressuring her to end the relationship. She says she can't study and her grades are worsening. She is avoiding friends and social activities. 
The client comes to her latest appointment looking lethargic and disheveled. She says that she's afraid she might be pregnant. She feels frightened and ashamed and says she has no one to talk to. She's afraid her boyfriend will break up with her if she tells him she might be pregnant. 
Your client's parents are immigrants. They are strongly committed to their ethnic community and cultural traditions. They say that they will not accept their daughter marrying someone who is not a member of their community. They threaten to disown their daughter (i.e., cut off all ties with her) if she marries the boyfriend. Your client says that even though she feels misunderstood by her parents, she feels that they care about her. 
The client says she feels like a total failure, that she can't even take care of herself or make decisions about her life. She concludes that she'd rather be dead. She says she could go up to the top floor of a tall building and jump off. 
Questions
In discussing each of the issues below, include references to relevant codes and laws.
Is psychiatric hospitalization necessary? What factors would you consider (including how to assess possible risk of suicide) and what would you base your decision on to hospitalize or not? How would confidentiality be affected if you decide to hospitalize the client?
If you decide to pursue hospitalization, what actions would you take in arranging the hospitalization? Overall, what are the steps that are legally required for hospitalization in Illinois? Answer this question even if you conclude that hospitalization is not necessary – do not skip this question.
Discuss the role of cultural issues in the case. Include how your cultural background, attitudes, and values compare with those of the client and the client's family (how similar and how different)? As the therapist, in what ways might these cultural issues affect your approach to the case? What can you do to increase your cultural awareness and competence with this case?

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Ethics in Psychology
Name:
Institution:
Date:
Ethics in Psychology
Psychiatric hospitalization
The patient in the case raises moral, ethical and practical dilemma and such dilemma is whether to admit the patient to the psychiatric hospital and the factors to consider during the suicidal assessment. In most cases, management of patients who have made some suicidal attempts makes it necessary for care by a primary physician. One factor that a psychiatric should consider is the level of the suicidal situation (Schwartz, 2009). For example, the acute condition needs stabilization of the patient for safety before checking the history and circumstances of the suicidal attempts and the likelihood of recurrence of such attempts. However, the psychiatric must intervene in the suicidal situation by reporting that the patient is in imminent danger. Such obligations usually override the laws of confidentiality due to the incidence of homicide or suicide (Schwartz, 2009).
In the present case, the suicidal ideation is current and the extent of such ideation including the presence of suicidal plan and means to commit suicide such as jumping off a tall building. Besides, the ideation comes as a result of depression, panic disorder, antisocial behavior Thus, it warrants psychiatric hospitalization. Consequently, the decision for psychiatric hospitalization will affect the code of confidentiality since suicidal ideation of a patient overrides the law of privacy. Therefore, calling the family members, friends or neighbor will be necessary to decide on voluntary or involuntary psychiatric hospitalization process (Schwartz, 2009).
Steps legally required for psychiatric hospitalization
The legal procedures for psychiatric hospitalization differ in every state. However, a person might be committed to involuntary psychiatric treatment due to convincing evidence that the patient is mentally ill and such condition is dangerous to herself or other people. The first step is to call the police or 911to report the suicide and pick up the patient. Then, the patient goes to an emergency room for examination. In the present case, the patient initially is cared for by the family members who threaten to abandon such services. Therefore, an evaluation is carried out by a licensed clinician and demonstrates the symptoms that are consistent with the DSM-IV-TR Axis such as depression, schizophrenia among others (Illinois Legal Aid, 2017).
Secondly, the experts then determine the level of threat of the patient to herself or others. Such risks for the present client include the inability to care for her physical needs since she is looking lethargic and disheveled. Besides, she has an ideation of commit suicide by jumping off a tall building. After the evaluation, the practitioners fill the out the necessary forms, swear to the accuracy of the information in front of a judge then the judge signs the hold order if he agrees with the assessment. The client is going to the psychiatry hospital (Illinois Legal Aid, 2017).
The APA Ethics Code in Psychiatric Hospitalization
The APA ethics code denotes various principles in psychiatric hospitalization. For example, the present case needs fidelity and responsibility as well as integrity. In the proces...
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