Treatment planning is a critical element in managing patients with mental health conditions. Yet, many psychiatrists and psychologists are ignorant and may overlook the applicable ethical standards when creating or making adjustments to a treatment plan (Griffin, 2022). The implication is that they can make errors and get sued by the patient or their relatives. It is vital to avoid such legal implications to understand the treatment plan process from intake and initial assessment to discharge or referral. There are several guidelines by the American Psychological Association and institutional policies that can guide mental health specialists in their practice. Notably, there may be several treatment options for patients diagnosed with the obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette syndrome (TS). Thus, the psychiatrist must ensure that the chosen management strategy is client-focused, consented to, and risk-free.
Experimental Treatments
One of the areas where the mental health specialist is likely to deviate is in the area of clinical trials done on patients to prove a hypothesis. For instance, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a possible treatment for people with TS. The treatment involves surgical implantation of a DBS device on the brain to help regulate neural activities. Noteworthy, DBS may have adverse effects on individuals and worsen their symptoms or lead to early mortality. For instance, 3 out of 13 people in an experiment developed major adverse effects, including hardware infection after DBS installation (Xu et al., 2020). In such a case, unless the psychiatrist adhered to the requirements for research studies involving humans, they are liable for legal uses. In addition, one of the principle of mental health practice is to do no harm, and in this case, the patient has to endure pain and health complications.
Caution should be taken to ensure that any treatment plan is suitable for the individual before considering its adoption. For example, the cut-off age for a patient to consider the DBS treatment for TS is 25 years (Xu et al., 2020). However, mental health specialists may be tempted to try the surgery on a younger patient since there is no evidence suggesting failure for younger clients. Such noncompliance to treatment recommendations is unethical. Thus, the psychiatrist should learn to follow all the guidelines and consult other professionals to avoid being charged and having the license revoked.
Client Consent
One of the common treatment hitches is failure to get consent before starting the treatment for OCD and TS. Notably, most patients who have mental illnesses may lack the insight needed to voluntarily make consent for treatment. In this case, the psychiatrist or psychologist must seek written consent from the patientās guardian. During assessment, it is vital to ensure that patient information is gathered from credible sources. As Griffin et al. (2022) state, it is unethical and illegal for a mental health specialist to Google patientsā information on the internet without data. Such guidelines may appear minor, but the implication for disobedience may be paramount.
Personality Changes
Individuality is an important concept for identity formation, which a person should have the liberty to control. People with OCD and TS do not necessarily threaten others despite their tendency to have compulsive mannerisms or repetitive movements, respectively. Yet, most treatments, such as surgery and brain implants, lead to technical brain control (MĆ¼ller et al., 2022). The patient may not necessarily have a problem with their personality, but they are forced to change. Such control is unethical even if it does not result in a lawsuit. An example of legal implication based on interference with personality change is the ādenial of Ulysses contractā (MĆ¼ller et al., 2022). A patient has the right to refuse treatment on the basis that it may change their identity. Thus, before making a treatment plan, it is vital to be empathetic and consider if treatment is client-centered and not influenced by the societal expectations for appropriate mannerisms.
Overreliance on DSM and ICD
Most mental health specialists rely on the diagnostic statistical manual (DSM) or international classification of diseases (ICD) to conceptualize clientās case and design a treatment plan. Yet, conditions such as TS and OCD may be due to a traumatic event or social-cultural context. For instance, a psychiatrist may draw the quick conclusion that a client is having repetitive movements due to inborn TS and prescribe some medication without considering if they were exposed to life-threatening events leading to practice. The implication is that ethical and legal issues may arise when the specialist is in a hurry to decide instead of making a comprehensive plan. Thus, before drawing conclusions for management based on symptoms, it is crucial for mental health specialists to understand the cause of the symptoms.
In conclusion, treatment planning is essential as it aims to enhance wellness and restore the quality of life for the patient. It is crucial for mental health specialists to ensure that they observe the legal and ethical guidelines when dealing with OCD and TS patients. Caution should be taken not to use e experimental treatment that exposes the clients to danger. Therapists should seek consent and understand that patients have a right to retain their identity. Moreover, instead of drawing quick treatment conclusions from the diagnostic manuals, the mental health specialist should always try to know the root cause of the condition.
References
Griffin, M. (2022). Ethical considerations in treatment planning. Attorney articles. Web.
MĆ¼ller, S., Van Oosterhout, A., Bervoets, C., Christen, M., MartĆnez-Ćlvarez, R., & Bittlinger, M. (2022). Concerns about psychiatric neurosurgery and how they can be overcome: Recommendations for responsible research. Neuroethics, 15(1). Web.
Xu, W., Zhang, C., Deeb, W., Patel, B., Wu, Y., Voon, V., Okun, M. S., & Sun, B. (2020). Deep brain stimulation for touretteās syndrome. Translational Neurodegeneration, 9(1). Web.