Comtemporary Ethical Issues in Psychology

This article reviews the new ethical challenges facing the profession of psychology. In particular the article focuses on 'telepsychology' which is not watching Pamela Connolly on a Friday night but an emerging response to facilitate societal need through technological changes. The author points to the importance of discussing services, agreeing a therapeutic contract, and ensuring measures for consent and confidentiality. The later is interesting in that the increasing use of electronic media endangers client privacy. Carnivore an FBI e-mail screening system is mentioned as is the slightly more disturbing case of Theresa Squillacote. The FBI Behaviour Analysis Program team prepared a document to use in the investigation of Theresa for espionage based on analysis of monitored phone conversations between her and her psychotherapist. This case points to the possibility of monitoring of any electronic communication.

What drew my attention to this article is the section entitled "Witnessing the Demise of Psychiatry". I've heard tell of mud slinging between psychologists and psychiatrists but this is quite surprising:

"The specialty of psychiatry has long stood at the lowest
rung of the medical hierarchy ladder in terms of both
scientific prestige, professional recognition, and institutional
authority within medical institutions. Recent developments
in psychiatric practice have accelerated a decline
in the profession, and psychologists should take note of the
key contributory factors and learn."

The main reasons for the proposed decline are that physicians are ever increasingly prescribing psychotropic medication and the author also points to the drawbacks of largely on the job training in comparison to psychologists training in the methods of behavioural science. Having taken some nice stabs at psychiatrists the author takes one at physicians in general warning of the terrible dangers of "self-medication hazards". So psychologists are recommended to avoid the "slippery slope of pharmaceutical company seductions". Personally, I've been trying hard to do this but sometimes it's just not worth it..

He does make a good point in locating future success in "translating behavioral science into valuable applications to advance human health and welfare" though this could be anything. Overall, it's interesting to see the ways in which psychologists such as the author at the highest level still define psychology in terms of what it is not (those guys reaching permanently reaching for their prescription pads) and also that schadenfreude is alive and well!


Twenty-First Century Ethical Issues for Psychology