Autonomy Vs. Paternalism In Mental Health Treatment — страница 4

Gordon. I am sorry that the field of psychology is so tentative about the types of treatment that assist people in recovering from mental illness. Mr. Gordon certainly never appeared to be relieved from his symptoms to a degree that was comfortable during the years reported. His goals were aimed at normalizing his life, the same goals as every other player in this tragedy. Mr. Gordon’s objectives in reaching that goal were at odds with the other members of his treatment team. The Gordon family certainly deserves recognition for the role they played in being available and supportive of Mr. Gordon’s recovery. Mrs. Gordon seems the type of person that would have done anything to assist her son in his wellness, anything except risk harm to him. I empathize with her feeling of

fear that her son was not receiving what he needed. The psychiatrist involved in Mr. Gordon’s care seems to be rather mysterious, as we have little information about this provider. Frustration is inevitable when dealing month on end with a patient that shows little progress in diminishing the symptoms of his illness. Regardless of the amount of success therapy yielded the doctor never abandoned his client. As Mrs. Gordon was extremely pro-active in her son’s treatment, the doctor’s persistence was undoubtedly great. Lastly, the service providers worked reportedly countless hours to assist Mr. Gordon in becoming independent. In spite of the labyrinth of rules and regulations and concerns for conduct, these people gave Mr. Gordon unconditional care. The report reflects the

maneuvering agency staff attempted to assist Mr. Gordon in accepting care that they believed would give him the lifestyle he wanted. I suspect that each of those agencies, at one time, gave Mr. Gordon all they could to assure his autonomy and his safety. Since these concepts do not mix, they worked in futile effort and likely were aware of this. Mr. Gordon’s case will become important in the way services are delivered, when either the laws provide for consumers rights to choices and responsibilities, or agencies obligations to make choices and become responsible for the consumers safety. “Can’ t you give me brains?” asked the scarecrow. “You don’t need them. You are learning something everyday. A baby has brains, but it doesn’t know much . Experience is the only

thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more you are sure to get” The Wizard of Oz Frank L. Baum REFERENCES Atkinson, J. (1991). Autonomy and mental health. In P. Barker & S. Baldwin (Eds.), Ethical issues in mental health (pp.103-125). New York: Chapman & Hall. Carling, P.J. (1995). Return to Community Building Support Systems for People with Psychiatric Disabilities. New York: The Guilford Press. New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled, (1995). A Report. In The Matter of Jacob Gordon: Facing the Challenge of Supporting Individuals With Serious Mental Illness in the Community. New York: Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled. New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled.

A Pamphlet. What is The Commission? New York: Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled. Corey, G., Corey, M.S., Callanan, P. (1993). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions. (4th ed.). California: Brook/Cole Publishing Co. Penny, D.J. (1994). Choice, common sense, and responsibility: the systems obligations to recipients. In C. J Sundram (Ed.), Choice & Responsibility (pp. 29-32). New York: NYS Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled. Rooney, R. (1992). The ethical foundation for work with involuntary clients. Strategies for Work with Involuntary Clients. (pp. 53-74). New York: Columbia University Press. Sundram, C.J. (1994). A framework of thinking about choice and responsibility. In C. J. Sundram (Ed.), Choice & Responsibility (pp.

3-16). New York: NYS Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled. Surles, R.C. (1994). Free choice, informed choice, and dangerous choices. In C.J. Sundram (Ed.), Choice & Responsibility (pp. 17-24). New York: NYS Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled.