Duty to protect

This article is about the ethical obligation of mental health professionals. For the international relations concept, see Responsibility to protect.
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In medical law and medical ethics, the duty to protect is the responsibility of a mental health professional to protect patients and others from foreseeable harm.[1] If a client makes statements that suggest suicidal or homicidal ideation, the clinician has the responsibility to take steps to warn potential victims, and if necessary, initiate involuntary commitment.[2] The majority of people have, at some stage, had thoughts about killing someone, but the seriousness or intention of carrying out these thoughts may differ among persons and individual circumstances.[3]

  1. ^ "The Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists Presented at the United Nations DPI/NGO Conference in Paris". www.apa.org. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  2. ^ Corey, Gerald Corey; Corey, Marianne Schneider; Callahan, Patrick (2007). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole/Thomson Learning. ISBN 978-0-534-61443-0. OCLC 65465556.
  3. ^ Gilbert, Flora; Daffern, Michael (2017). "Aggressive scripts, violent fantasy and violent behavior: A conceptual clarification and review". Aggression and Violent Behavior. 36: 98–107. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2017.05.001. ISSN 1359-1789.
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