The Suicidal Outpatient: Balancing Autonomy, Trust, and Responsibilities

The intersection where mental health and rehabilitation care converge can raise ethical questions involving boundaries, duties, and perhaps more importantly, our role in recovery, adjustment, and flourishing. The patient with a stroke-related depression is one prototypical example. We know that damage to specific parts of the brain can cause depressive symptomatology as well as the fact that the adjustment process during rehabilitation itself can impact well-being and a sense of self-efficacy. In this column, we explore a case of when a patient becomes severely depressed and suicidal and expresses this ideation during an outpatient physical therapy session.
Source: PM and R - Category: Rehabilitation Authors: Tags: Ethical Legal Feature Source Type: research