Everyday Ethics: Voices from the Front Line of Community Psychiatry

Another account of the tragedies of deinstitutionalizing chronically mentally ill people without providing anywhere nearly adequate resources. This academically dense depiction of the struggles of both patients with complicated addiction, police, housing problems, but also layers of staff from barely trained social workers to psychiatrists dealing with the limitations of their sincere efforts to help them. Community based mental health treatment is a painful task when patient freedom so often conflicts with effective treatment, and there are no cures, only staying the course and hoping good days outnumber bad ones. The debate about the ethical dilemma of restricting people's freedom through court ordered drug treatment, paying patients to take their drugs and carefully doling out their money to ensure compliance with treatment, housing and behavior orders is not resolved herein. But the emotional price paid by caregivers and patients is painfully displayed.

5 stars

Was a required book for Psychology class ... I think this would have been better suited for a Social work class.

Act work in the US and Canada is both fascinating work, and important work. This is a great look at a side of health care few ever witness for themselves as well as the complex ethical issues professionals deal with every day.