Ethical and Legal Considerations of Mental Health
- Using the case below to reflect on and provide an overview of mental health law, the guidelines of enforcement, key terms, and patient rights that are relevant to your case study.
- Critically analyse the influence of these guidelines on the Mental Health (New Zealand Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992, and the influence of this Act upon the prevention or management of a mental health disorder.
- Reflect on and provide an overview of the ethical principles used in a mental health setting and how these principles are integrated into the assessment and treatment processes for a client in a mental health setting.
- Critically evaluate these principles to identify the tensions that can arise for the nurse in reference to the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 and how these ethical principles could be better applied to enhance mental health practice.
Case profile:
John, a 22-year-old university student diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia was receiving community care due to his command hallucinations. John’s symptoms became worse when he stopped going to the community mental health center for counseling and medication. He has become increasingly paranoid believing that God sends him personal commands to harm his neighbors. John was admitted to an acute mental health facility because of his psychosis and hallucinatory threats of harm to others. The Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment & Treatment) Act 1992 was initiated due to these risks, and he is now detained under Section 11 of the Mental Health Act.
