Should Parents And Schools Have The Right To Know About a Students Mental Health?

[jacquie4000]

In light of the Virginia shootings how should we view the privacy laws of patient and
doctor?

The suicide rate amoung college kids in the US this year was 1100. The second largest reason for death of college students.

A parent may never know their child is in trouble. The school may never know the student is depressed or may cause harm.

Although I value the right of patient doctor privacy, there has to be exceptions to these rules put in place when it concerns the safety of your on child or of others.

How do you feel?

 

[CaptainXeroid]

The big problem that colleges run into is that most students are 18 or over, and unless the student gives specific permission or there is a court ordered evaluation, the doctors are not allowed to breach the doctor patient confidentiality.

My guess is that if we make it easier for doctors to disclose such information, it would discourage many students who may be in need of help from seeking assistance and may make the problem worse.

In the wake of such a horrific event, it is understandable for many people have a 'knee-jerk' reaction and think that this could have been prevented with just one more law or one more intervention. It is important to remember that the murderer broke the law by having a gun on campus. Criminals do not follow the law nor do they act in the best interest of anyone, and when you think about how many students are in schools of all kinds, these kinds of incidents are so isolated that it really is not prudent to make wholesale changes.

If any good can come of this tragedy, I hope we can encourage people who are having problems coping with life to talk to someone. Maybe then, they can step back from the pressures and realize that there is so much beauty in life and that taking the lives of innocent victims will not solve their own problems.:162:

 

[Green Gaia]

No. Unless the person has expressed or committed violent or destructive behavior, it's no one else's business. There are already steps in place which can be taken if someone is deemed a threat to themselves or others. We cannot invade and violate the privacy of every student who is depressed or struggling with mental illness. How many would seek help if they knew their parents and school would be informed?

 

[jacquie4000]

No. Unless the person has expressed or committed violent or destructive behavior, it's no one else's business. There are already steps in place which can be taken if someone is deemed a threat to themselves or others. We cannot invade and violate the privacy of every student who is depressed or struggling with mental illness. How many would seek help if they knew their parents and school would be informed?

I do agree but it seems the laws we have in place so many times do not work.
So what can be done?

 

[nutshell]

In light of the Virginia shootings how should we view the privacy laws of patient and
doctor?

The suicide rate amoung college kids in the US this year was 1100. The second largest reason for death of college students.

A parent may never know their child is in trouble. The school may never know the student is depressed or may cause harm.

Although I value the right of patient doctor privacy, there has to be exceptions to these rules put in place when it concerns the safety of your on child or of others.

How do you feel?

In many jurisdictions a mental health professional does have a duty to protect others when there is the threat of danger to them. Here is the controversial California Supreme Court decision that decided this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarasoff_v._Regents_of_the_University_of_California

The mental health community were outraged by the decision.

 

[jacquie4000]

The shooter in Virginia was made to seek counseling in 05. He was deemed by the judge to have issues but not to have been a threat to himself or others. So many times they are sent to an ER for evaluation. They say they will do better and are o.k. so it is dropped there.

So while I do agree with both of your statements. How can we change the Health System then to view it more closely.

 

[Green Gaia]

I do agree but it seems the laws we have in place so many times do not work.
So what can be done?

I think by and large they do work. We cannot assume that every depressed person is going to become a mass murderer and form our laws around that assumption. That would be nuts. Those who knew Cho said he had a problems, but none of them even foresaw this happening. Sometimes as much planning and intervention that takes place, bad things still happen. Blaming mental health laws is like blaming guns or blaming the gun store owner who sold him one of the guns he used (the store owner has been receiving death threats), or blaming video games, etc, etc, etc. Eventually the responsiblity comes down only to one person; the one who committed the act.

 

[Green Gaia]

How can we change the Health System then to view it more closely.

I agree with Glen that what should happen is more encouraging people who are having problems coping with life to talk to someone and take away the stigma that still exists of being depressed or having a mental illness. That's how we will help more people, not by making more laws or invading people's privacy.

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

Its not like mental health professionals are all-knowing & unlikely to make mistakes plus there is enough paranoia and prejudice about mental health as it is.

At a guess this Cho character was very alienated and that was made worse by some kind of already present deep injury to self-esteem with a resulting sociopathic narcissistic disorder. Enormous numbers of people would fit such a diagnosis but they don't murder people let along go on bizarre shooting sprees. This is a very unusual event.

 

[standing_alone]

No. Unless the person has expressed or committed violent or destructive behavior, it's no one else's business. There are already steps in place which can be taken if someone is deemed a threat to themselves or others. We cannot invade and violate the privacy of every student who is depressed or struggling with mental illness. How many would seek help if they knew their parents and school would be informed?

CX made a wonderful post and this one, too, is good.

Someone who is obviously as emotionally disturbed as the shooter at Virginia Tech isn't going to have many concerns about following the law. Such things as suggested in the OP, with there being more access to the mental health medical records of college students and such is very invasive and will just discourage people from either seeking help in the first place or being honest if they do seek help. I avoided getting help for what was troubling me until I went to college for the very reason I didn't want my parents knowing. Doing something like suggested in the OP would discourage lots of people who need help to seek it.

 

[jacquie4000]

While in no way would I say it was Video Games, Or Guns or even Health officials.
Our times have changed things are getting worse, not better. My son does have a gun
he hunts and was taught proper safety and respect of what a weapon is.

Yes in the end it is the killers fault no doubt.

But we must come to face the fact that more does need to be done in order for things to change.

Weather that be teaching or helping others, I do not know, I don't have the answers but times seem to be getting more sad by the day.

 

[standing_alone]

But we must come to face the fact that more does need to be done in order for things to change.

Weather that be teaching or helping others, I do not know, I don't have the answers but times seem to be getting more sad by the day.

One thing that always fails at being adequately addessed, at least in my opinion, is that of bullying and students alienating other students. Perhaps no one at VT did anything to alienate this student (and perhaps some did), but, speaking as someone who was bullied, regardless of when the bullying occured, once the damage is done the damage is done. How have the schools I've went to addressed bullying? ....They didn't. Yup, that's what many schools are doing about bullying--absolutely nothing. Hell, I got an office referral in junior high because I refused to sit in the cafeteria (by myself) and be a target for whatever words and objects people decided to throw at me. That's not right. When a student is told by those in authority that bullying is just something to be endured, it can easily suggest that the wider society accepts bullying as perfectly fine and, thus, cause some of those alienated students to lash out as an attempt of getting even (as they see it).

 

[jacquie4000]

One thing that always fails at being adequately addessed, at least in my opinion, is that of bullying and students alienating other students. Perhaps no one at VT did anything to alienate this student (and perhaps some did), but, speaking as someone who was bullied, regardless of when the bullying occured, once the damage is done the damage is done. How have the schools I've went to addressed bullying? ....They didn't. Yup, that's what many schools are doing about bullying--absolutely nothing. Hell, I got an office referral in junior high because I refused to sit in the cafeteria (by myself) and be a target for whatever words and objects people decided to throw at me. That's not right. When a student is told by those in authority that bullying is just something to be endured, it can easily suggest that the wider society accepts bullying as perfectly acceptable.

I agree 100% with you on this. I know I see it with my son and many of the kids in school. They become worse by the day. I have my son's friends over twice a week, about 10 to 15 of them. One night for topic night of their chosing. One night for Pizza and a movie. I hear so many things I dislike. We are quite open with eachother, so although I make a difference in this way it does not seem enough.

 

[michel]

I do agree but it seems the laws we have in place so many times do not work.
So what can be done?

I agree with Green Gaia; yet, I think the trouble lies deeper than jst the rights of a "Child".

The definitions of a child depend on what we are talking about - and that (IMO) doesn't help matters at all.

There seems to bne an age of majority for smoking, drinking, sex, voting, joining the forces, driving, becoming a politician (those are the anomalies that we have in England).

Now, in any reasonable family, in theory, the parents would be aware of all that their "Children" are going through......and yet, most parents seem to be less and less aware. Society has changed so much in the last fifty years (most of it for the better) - in that Children are regarded as individuals with their own rights - which is a complete reversal to when I was a teenager.

The "system" under which I grew up had no tollerance whatsoever for the wants and needs of Children - now, the pendulum has swung completely to the other end of the spectrum, with both parents and teachers being afraid to say anything.

What is needed are clearer "Goal posts".

As I understand it, some of the problems that arose with this particular guy was a lack of comminication between all agencies (the school, the mental hospital, and the police - and, I dare say, his parents). The same has happened here (not the same circumstances, but the different authorities each knowing part of the "whole", and not sharing the knowledge with others)....

Whatever happened, that Boy was a very disturbed young man who needed hep, and who didn't get it. Whose fault was that ?

 

[jacquie4000]

Whatever happened, that Boy was a very disturbed young man who needed hep, and who didn't get it. Whose fault was that ?

A little bit of everyone I imagine.

Like I said times are so different.

 

[gnomon]

In light of the Virginia shootings how should we view the privacy laws of patient and
doctor?

The suicide rate amoung college kids in the US this year was 1100. The second largest reason for death of college students.

A parent may never know their child is in trouble. The school may never know the student is depressed or may cause harm.

Although I value the right of patient doctor privacy, there has to be exceptions to these rules put in place when it concerns the safety of your on child or of others.

How do you feel?

On most points of public disclosure I say no. My roommates in the halfway house were somewhat afraid of me because of my mental disorder which irritated me because I was the most docile and responsible person in the house. But for some reason they thought "don't tick him off or else he'll go wild". I've never initiated a fight.

There is this sense that mentally ill people are more likely to be violent than not. I strongly challenge such a concept. Often past murderers, serial rapists and such were declared mentally ill without any evidence. Even recovery programs for addicts I've attended have a poor view of those with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc.

In light of how society views mentally ill people, with those with serious illnesses still treated disrespectfully while every dissatisfied American goes running for drugs while declaring themselves sufferers of illusionary illneses this is not the time to start disclosing the mental health aspect of people who would only suffer from such exposure.

And speaking as someone who suffers from a mental illness, I place the responsibility pretty much on Cho. I also believe despite my above assertions, any individual who exhibits extraordinary violent behavior or is deemed, either by a hospital or in court of law, to be a possible threat that local police should be notified. Hell, I was busted on marijuana shake and had to endure having my vehicle or person searched anytime the police wanted for essentially doing nothing. I have no problem with violent people, mentally ill or not, being known by the local police department.

 

[jamaesi]

The shooter in Virginia was made to seek counseling in 05. He was deemed by the judge to have issues but not to have been a threat to himself or others. So many times they are sent to an ER for evaluation. They say they will do better and are o.k. so it is dropped there.

So while I do agree with both of your statements. How can we change the Health System then to view it more closely.

From what I heard when I was watching the news he was deemed a threat to himself, but not an immediate threat. The laws in Virginia are set up so it's difficult to force someone to get treatment against their will.

 

[Booko]

I do agree but it seems the laws we have in place so many times do not work.
So what can be done?

Look at the inadequate way in which we deliver mental health services?

I saw an interview with the father of someone who has serious mental problems and they just happened to develop when he was at college. It provided a lot of food for thought.

Check this out.

 

[Booko]

The shooter in Virginia was made to seek counseling in 05. He was deemed by the judge to have issues but not to have been a threat to himself or others. So many times they are sent to an ER for evaluation. They say they will do better and are o.k. so it is dropped there.

So while I do agree with both of your statements. How can we change the Health System then to view it more closely.

Actually the court decision said he was a imminent threat to himself, but since it was outpatient care for some odd reason it didn't have to be reported anywhere.

The whole thing is very confusing.

 

[Bastet]

I found this an interesting and insightful read...