The philosophical basis of psychiatry

Stephanie was reflecting on her years as a trainee psychiatrist, and the most challenging patient experiences she had encountered. She thought about how much she had appreciated having a senior consultant with whom she could discuss patients’ treatment plans or to whom she could refer with ease for a senior opinion when she had a dilemma deciding on the best way forward. Now she had recently started working as a consultant psychiatrist, she was increasingly being telephoned by her juniors when they faced ethical dilemmas. In the past month, she had had one trainee traumatized by unwanted advances from a manic patient, a new trainee who was added on Facebook by her patient, and a colleague who wanted advice when detaining a patient with a severe eating disorder. It was not until she read up about different ethical theories and ways of tackling dilemmas in practice that she could offer structured, logical advice to her colleagues, which she herself could find invaluable when faced with ethical challenges at work.