60th Annual Meeting

October 19 - 27, 2013

Clinical Case Conference 6 (open)

Good Medicine Doesn’t Always Have to Taste Bad: Translating Legal Statute, Case Law, and Ethical Principles into Effective Care for Dangerous Patients

Child and adolescent psychiatrists in the inpatient clinical setting often see patients that present difficult medico-legal and ethical dilemmas during the course of hospitalization and treatment. This CCC assists child and adolescent psychiatrists with the translation of legal and ethical principles into clinical decisions that account for a patient’s psychopathology and violence risk, and provide the appropriate and effective use of risk reduction strategies and treatment options. Participant learn how local statutes pertaining to the mental health treatment of children and adolescent apply in cases where potential danger exits, become familiar with select case law and learn how these cases translate into practical and effective care, gain understanding of how to include ethical principles in the development of a treatment plan that promotes patient participation in medical decision-making, and learn how the combination of the understanding of legal statute, case law, and application of ethical principles can promote effective treatment planning and achieve risk reduction.