THE PROBLEMS OF
LABELING
Psychology 36: Abnormal Psychology
An ethical dilemma
These are just a few of the many issues that
surface when we try to balance the rights of
people who have psychological disorders
with the responsibilities of society to
provide care.
Mental health professionals must both diagnose
and treat people and consider individual and
societal rights and responsibilities.
Point to Ponder
Do people with mental illness need
help and protection, or does society
need protection from them?
Civil Commitment
The legal system exercises significant influence
over the mental health system.
Laws have been designed to protect people who
display abnormal behavior and to protect society.
Often, achieving this protection is a delicate
balancing act, with scales sometimes thought to
be tipped in favor of the rights of individuals and
at other times in favor of society.
Dangerousness
Assessing whether someone is a danger to self
or others is a critical determinant of the civil
commitment process.
Dangerousness is a controversial concept to
describe people with mental illness: popular
opinion tends to be that people who are mentally
ill are more dangerous than those who are not.
This conclusion is questionable, but widespread.
Patients Rights
1. The right to treatment