Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Are We Teaching Psychiatrists to Be Ethical?

  • Published:
Academic Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The authors conducted a nationwide survey of ethics education during psychiatry residency. Of the 136 program directors and 95 chief residents responding, nearly all agreed that ethics should be a part of the core curriculum. Program directors reported that most programs (60%) did offer a formal seminar series or course. However, 26 programs (19%) had no planned discussion of ethics in any seminar and fewer than 30% of all programs held seminars on the issues considered most worthy of formal attention, including psychiatrist-patient sexual contact, confidentiality, and forced treatment. The discrepancy between what program directors and chief residents believe should be taught and what is actually being taught indicates a need to focus attention on the teaching of psychiatric ethics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bloch S: Teaching of psychiatric ethics. Br J Psychiatry 1980; 136:300–301

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Jellinek M, Parmalee D: Is there a role for medicalethics in postgraduate psychiatry courses? Am J Psychiatry 1977; 134:1438–1439

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Appelbaum PS, Reiser SJ: Ethics rounds: a model for teaching ethics in the psychiatric setting. Hosp Community Psychiatry 1981; 32:555–560

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Moffic HS, Coverdale J, Bayer TL: Ethics educaion for psychiatry. Journal of Clinical Ethics 1991; 2:161–166

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Moore RA: Ethics in the practice of psychiatry: update on the results of enforcement of the code. Am J Psychiatry 1985; 142:1043–1046

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Gartrell N, Herman J, Olarte S. et al: Psychiatrist-patient sexual contact: results of a national survey, I: prevalence. Am J Psychiatry 1986; 143:1126–1131

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Gartrell N, Herman J, Olarte S, et al: Psychiatric residents’ sexual contact with educators and patients: results of a national survey. Am J Psychiatry 1988; 145:690–694

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. American Medical Association: Essentials of accredited residencies, in Directory of Graduate Medical Education Programs. Chicago, American Medical Association, 1992, p 121

    Google Scholar 

  9. Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry: A Casebook in Psychiatric Ethics. New York, Brunner/Mazel, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  10. Fink PJ: Presidential address: on being ethical in an unethical world. Am J Psychiatry 1989; 146:1097–1104

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Loether HJ, McTavish DC (eds): Descriptive and Inferential Statistics: An Introduction, 2nd Edition. Boston, MA, Allyn and Bacon, 1980, pp 586–588

    Google Scholar 

  12. Michels R: Training in psychiatric ethics, in Psychiatric Ethics, edited by Bloch S, Chodoff P. Oxford, England, Oxford University Press, 1981

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, USA

    John H. Coverdale M.B., Ch.B. (adjunct assistant professor, senior lecturer)

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Auckland, School of Medicine, Auckland, New Zealand

    John H. Coverdale M.B., Ch.B. (adjunct assistant professor, senior lecturer)

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, USA

    Timothy Bayer M.D. (assistant professor)

  4. VA Medical Center, USA

    Patricia Isbell M.D. (Dr.)

  5. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Patricia Isbell M.D. (Dr.)

  6. Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA

    Steven Moffic M.D. (professor and director of development)

Authors
  1. John H. Coverdale M.B., Ch.B.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Timothy Bayer M.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Patricia Isbell M.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Steven Moffic M.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Coverdale, J.H., Bayer, T., Isbell, P. et al. Are We Teaching Psychiatrists to Be Ethical?. Acad Psychiatry 16, 199–205 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03341393

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03341393

Keywords

Search

Navigation