Introduction
As humans, there exist rules and standards that dictate how we act and relate with others. These norms are known as ethics and they are important for harmonious coexistence in society. By definition, ethics can be termed as a system of moral principles by which social conduct is judged as either “right” or “wrong” (Chryssides & Kaler, 1993). In relation to a person’s profession, ethics are moral principles that prescribe what legitimate behaviors in various business dealings are. In this paper, I shall review the ethical issue surrounding the decision by many psychiatrists to turn into drug therapy as opposed to practicing psychiatry.
The Scenario
The ethical issue in question appears in a NY Times article “Talk Doesn’t Pay, So Psychiatry Turns Instead to Drug Therapy” (Harris, 2011). The article highlights how many of the country’s psychiatrists are being forced to move to drug therapy due to market forces. The root of the problem is traced to insurance companies that no longer provide compensation for talk therapy. As a result of this, many of the country’s psychiatrists have had to make transitions from offering talk therapy services to brief consultations
The article uses facts about the health care arena in stating its issues. To begin with, it notes that trained psychiatrists hold sessions that last for 45 minutes with each patient (Harris, 2011). This is in contrast to the 15-minute visits for prescription that drug therapy takes. The paper quotes a government survey that reveals that the number of psychiatrists providing talk therapy has been falling through the years.
Addressing the Ethical Issue
The ethical dilemma that exists in this scenario is whether the psychiatrist should look out for their own personal benefits first or the well-being of the patient. A theory that can be applied to this scenario is the influential Utilitarianism theory. This principle dictates that the collective welfare of the people overrides the individual’s rights (Trevino & Katherine, 2007). This being the case, the theory advocates for the maximization of happiness for the greatest number of people (Crane & Matten, 2007). By turning to drug therapy, psychiatrists benefit themselves financially while they disadvantage the clients who would otherwise enjoy their services. The psychiatrist interviewed in the article acknowledges that while his goal as a traditional psychiatrist was to help his patients become happy and fulfilled, not he just seeks to keep them functional (Harris, 2011).
Another theory that can be applied to the issue is the Social Contract theory which holds that actions carried out by someone are morally permissible if they increase the benefits for an individual or indeed, the society at large (Wueste, 1994). The actions by the psychiatrists are evidently not beneficial to the majority of the people. As a matter of fact, patients have been affected adversely by being given prescriptions alone. The only person who benefited from this move is the psychiatrist.
Proposed Solution
As has been noted, the ethical issue that psychiatrists face is a result of decreased earnings in their profession. This is caused directly by insurance companies refusing to pay for talk therapy. Chappell (2006) proposes that the government should in special instances step in to protect its citizens. The government can do this by obligating insurers to cover talk therapy as they did in the past. This will be for the greater good since as the article implies, drug therapy alone is ineffective in assisting patients suffering from a psychological disorder.
Conclusion
Unethical practices lead to loss and damage for some of the people involved in the issue. This is the case in the scenario highlighted in this paper where the decision by psychiatrists to turn into drug therapy has hurt patients. From the above discussions, it can be seen that both the ethical theories applied to support the notion that psychiatrists should not shift to drug therapy. Even so, it has been noted that psychiatrists are victims of the decision by insurers to stop paying for patients’ talk therapy. A permanent solution to the issue can therefore be reached by obligating insurers to cover patients’ talk therapy sessions.
References
Chappell, T.D. (2006). Values and Virtues: Aristotelianism in Contemporary Ethics. USA: Oxford University Press
Chryssides, D.G., & Kaler, H.J. (1993). An Introduction to Business Ethics, Cengage Learning EMEA.
Crane, A & Matten, D. (2007). Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization. USA: Oxford University Press.
Harris, G. (2011). “Talk Doesn’t Pay, So Psychiatry Turns Instead to Drug Therapy”. The New York Times. Web.
Trevino, L, & Katherine A. N. (2007). Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk About How to Do it Right 4th ed. United States: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Wueste, D. (1994). Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility. NY: Rowman & Littlefield.