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Ethics, Mental Health Law, and Aging

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Geriatric Psychiatry

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Abstract

The number of older adults has been steadily increasing globally over the past few decades. At the same time, there has been an increasing population of older individuals who suffer from psychiatric illness. This chapter provides some insights and strategies for clinicians who work with this vulnerable population from the perspective of mental health law and ethical theories, principles, and frameworks. While the theory of “therapeutic jurisprudence” has been applied to mental health law, some have suggested that an analogous term, “geriatric jurisprudence,” has emerged to address legal and ethical challenges facing this vulnerable group. The issues canvassed in this chapter are non-exhaustive and intended to highlight common ethical themes involving how to balance competing rights and ethical dilemmas, including autonomy, self-determination, and liberty with the need for societal values, such as public safety and protection of vulnerable persons. Specific topics include decisional capacity assessments, informed consent, advance directives, guardianship, involuntary commitment, elder abuse, and end-of-life decision-making. The chapter further explores ethical factors related to the use of technology in clinical practice with a geriatric population.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Daniel L. Ambrosini

  2. Division of General Medicine, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Calvin H. Hirsch

  3. Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Ana Hategan

Authors
  1. Daniel L. Ambrosini
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  2. Calvin H. Hirsch
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  3. Ana Hategan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel L. Ambrosini .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Ana Hategan

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA

    James A. Bourgeois

  3. Division of General Medicine, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Calvin H. Hirsch

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Caroline Giroux

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Ambrosini, D.L., Hirsch, C.H., Hategan, A. (2024). Ethics, Mental Health Law, and Aging. In: Hategan, A., Bourgeois, J.A., Hirsch, C.H., Giroux, C. (eds) Geriatric Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47802-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47802-4_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-47801-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-47802-4

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