Psychiatric Ethics

Consideration of ethics has established a firm place in the affairs of psychiatrists. An increased professional commitment to accountability, in parallel with a growing "consumer" movement has paved the way for a creative engagement with the ethical movement. Psychiatric Ethics has carved out a niche for itself as a major comprehensive text and core reference, covering the many complex ethical dilemmas which face clinicians and researchers in their everyday practice. This new edition takes a fresh look at recent trends and developments at the interface between ethics and psychiatric practice. For this third edition, Sydney Bloch and Paul Chodoff are joined by Stephen Green, a teacher in ethics and psychiatry at Georgetown University, Washington DC, in leading 29 of the finest scholars in the field from around the world. Eleven new contributors join the team of authors. Since the second edition, the editors have observed several emerging aspects of psychiatric practice requiring coverage, as a result, six new chapters have been added covering ethical aspects of community psychiatry, managed care, psychiatric genetics, resource allocation, codes of ethics and boundary violations.
All other chapters have been fully revised and updated. The book will continue to be essential reading for psychiatrists, psychologists, other mental health professionals, and bioethicists, as well as of interest to policy makers, managers and lawyers. From reviews of the second edition: "When I reviewed the first edition of Psychiatric Ethics ...I referred to it as a most important book in psychiatry .. I am pleased to note that the second edition is an even finer compilation of readings in psychiatric ethics." Journal of the American Medical Association "This nicely presented book is an excellent vehicle to encourage proper ongoing debate on these crucial issues. One looks forward to further revisions. I am sure it will continue to find a place on the shelves of mental health workers, whether they be in clinical practice or academic posts." International Clinical Psychopharmacology "In 1981, the first edition of this book was well received - rightly so, because it contained a rich mixture of well-argued papers. This new edition is very good value."
Bulletin of Medical Ethics "Every psychiatrist would be better for reading it, both from the information contained and the thoughts provoked." Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.