Dr. Solomon, a psychologist on an inpatient psychiatric treatment team, is concerned about the pending discharge of a current inpatient. The patient admitted herself to the unit, with some persuasion by the local police, for making loud threats and menacing gestures in her neighbor’s driveway. Hence, the admission is voluntary.
Currently, the patient is denying the fact that she has made past threats toward her neighbor. However, the police report indicated she has made such verbal threats in the past but also, on several occasions, has damaged her neighbors property including scratching the paint on their car and throwing rocks at their house. Innuendos are that she allegedly killed her neighbors pet, but this has been unproven by the police.
During some individual time, the patient indicated to the psychologist that she has “had it” with her neighbor and has “something planned that will make you all finally understand” once she is discharged.
While the treatment team does not share Dr. Solomon’s concern and has started to make discharge plans, they have not spent as much individual time with the patient as Dr. Solomon. In fact, the patient has made no such comments to anyone else other than to Dr. Solomon and has been a model patient on the unit. The days allocated for her stay by her insurance are ending in two days. The attending psychiatrist concurs with the discharge plan and advised Dr. Solomon “not to worry about it.” In fact, the psychiatrist encouraged the psychologist to omit any reference to the patient’s comments about the neighbor in treatment summaries or clinical notes as “hysterical nonsense.”
What are the ethical issues involved?
If you were the psychologist, how would you feel about the situation?
What steps does the psychologist need to take?
How easy or how difficult would it be to take those steps?
