Florida Mental Health Act of 1971

Florida Mental Health Act of 1971-This is an act which was enacted in the year 1971 to allow involuntary institutionalization and examination of individuals. The law is also called the Baker Act. According to the bill,the involuntary examination can be instituted by physicians, judges, law enforcement officials or even mental health professionals. However the law gives certain conditions for involuntary examination  which are: possibility of mental illness or the person is in danger of becoming a harm either to himself or to other people.for example, there must be a strong belief that the person has a mental illness that is backed by evidence, and/or that the person refuses voluntary examination. This law implies that before a person is taken in a forensic setting, there must be evidence that he/she has a mental illness.

Mental Health Parity law- this is a law enacted by the state of Florida to prohibit the insurers or the health care service plans in various hospitals from discriminating between various coverages offered for serious mental illness. It also p[rovides for equality in the treatment of all patients by physicians. For example, a Physician attending to his/her mother or relative should exercise equal care as when visiting an alien patient. Failure to this would amount to discrimination as well as breach of the law.

These laws have a positive impact on my professional goals relating to treatment in a forensic procedure.One of my professional goals is to exercise the highest level of transparency and honesty in the exercise of my duty. Florida The Mental Act and  Mental parity provide that the physician, practitioners and the mental health professionals should maintain openness and transparency in their dealings. Therefore these laws help achieve a  sound working environment promoting my goals.

 

One of the ethical dilemmas is the possibility and scope of abuse of power as agents of the state thus destroying the essential Doctor-Patient relationship. This situation has risen in many countries. The doctor-patient relationship is usually fundamental and affects the quality of service delivery. It’s due to this relationship that the patient builds trust and can visit hospitals. Any slight mistake may highly cost the whole nation as its not only the local patients that will shy away from the hospitals but even international clients.

Another ethical dilemma facing the treatment in a forensic setting is on whether psychiatrists are usually ethical in trying to treat mental offenders who are mentally disordered and pose a risk to others and if such needs of there should be better served by the treatment or by taking the offender to prison. This is one of the most significant ethical dilemmas, as a physician has a moral obligation to kill their patients and also obey the law. Therefore finding a balance between treating the offender and or letting them to prison without any attempt of treatment becomes an ethical dilemma.

The first dilemma on the possibility and scope of abuse of power  as agents of the state thus destroying the basic Doctor-Patient relationship can be solved using the fidelity and responsibility principle which states that  Psychologists usually establish a relationships of trust with their patients and uphold strong professional standards of conduct and behavior as well as making any conflict of interest

The second conflict on whether to treat disordered offers can be solved using the principle of justice. By treating the patient, it will be justice to the society as the risk it’s exposed to will be eliminated and at the same time, it is fair to the patient due to the treatment.

 

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