Let Therapists Be Therapists, Not Police

摘要

What are the responsibilities of a mental health professional who becomes aware in the course of treatment that a patient is engaging in behavior that may violate institutional rules or criminal law-here, theft and unauthorized use of an investigational drug? Insofar as mental health treatment, especially when it includes psychotherapy, involves the disclosure of substantial amounts of personal information, the dilemma is not unusual. Patients may describe cheating on tests, pilfering goods fromthe warehousewhere they work, avoiding taxes by accepting payments "off the books," using and selling illicit drugs, or having been involved in a hit-and-run accident. Should mental health professionals have a legal or ethical duty to report any or all of these behaviors?