PSY 2114W PSYCHIATRY AND THE LAW
In this course, students will learn the legal background to the practice of psychiatry (with applications to more general practice of medicine) and how psychiatrists become involved in the court system. Each week, students will be asked to read assigned readings (mostly court cases) and view selected movies/video clips or listen to podcasts that relate to each week’s topics. Students will then come together each week to discuss the assignments and explore the topics in more depth in a group discussion format. During Week One, students will learn basic information about the legal system and how to read a court case. We will also discuss confidentiality/mandatory reporting requirements and duties to third parties (including Tarasoff and duty to report). During Week Two, we will explore the legal statutes and court cases guiding involuntary hospitalizations and medication administration, as well as boundary violations within psychiatry and exploration of the meaning of an “impaired physician.” During Week Three, we will discuss psychiatrists’ roles in hot button issues, including the #MeToo movement, concerns about free speech and threats, and mass shootings. We will also discuss the Goldwater Rule. Finally, in Week Four, we will concentrate on the experience of patients struggling with mental illness within the legal system, including competence to stand trial, competence to be executed, and solitary confinement. We will conclude with discussing the psychiatrist’s role as advocate. Throughout the course, students will be expected to present 1-2 assigned court cases to the group and complete two short writing assignments (1-2 pages). For one assignment, students will be asked to find a work of literature, movie, song, TV show, or painting and reflect on it using the skills learned throughout the course. For the last writing assignment students will be asked to reflect on the course and how it will affect their practice of medicine.