Legal, Ethical, and Psychopharmacology Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive flashcards covering the legal rights of psychiatric clients, ethical principles, types of admission, torts, and the physiological principles of psychopharmacology.

Law

Minimum standards enforced by governing bodies.

Ethics

Higher moral standards guiding professional conduct.

Beneficence

The quality of doing good; can be described as charity.

Ex: In a healthcare context, it emphasizes promoting the well-being of patients and preventing harm.

Autonomy

The client’s right to make their own decisions.

Examples include making informed choices about treatment options and participating actively in their care.

Justice

Fair and equal treatment for all clients. It emphasizes distributing benefits, risks, and costs fairly among individuals and communities.

Fidelity

Loyalty and faithfulness to the client and to one’s duty.

Veracity

Honesty when dealing with a client.

Psychiatric Advance Directive

Includes the client’s treatment preferences in the event that an involuntary admission is necessary.

Informed Consent

Requires disclosure, comprehension, voluntariness, and capacity.

Informal Admission

The least restrictive form of admission for treatment where the client does not pose a substantial threat and is free to leave at any time.

Voluntary Admission

The client or guardian chooses admission for treatment; the client is considered competent and has the right to refuse medication and treatment.

Temporary Emergency Admission

Admitted for emergent mental health care due to inability to make decisions; the length often does not exceed $15$ days.

Involuntary Admission

The client enters a mental health facility against their will based on need for treatment, risk of harm to self or others, or inability to provide self-care.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

The principle that a patient should be treated in the least confining setting that will meet their needs with the minimum level of intervention necessary to ensure safety.

Partial Hospitalization Program ($PHP$)

Daytime treatment with return home at night; more intensive than $IOP$ but less restrictive than inpatient care.

Intentional Tort

Willful actions that damage a client's property or violate client rights.

False Imprisonment

Confining a client to a specific area physically, verbally, or using a chemical restraint when it is not part of the treatment.

Assault

Making a threat to a client’s person, such as approaching with a syringe in hand.

Battery

Touching a client in a harmful or offensive way, such as giving an injection against a client's will.

Invasion of Privacy

Breaking confidences or taking photographs of the client without permission.

Negligence

Failing to provide adequate care in a personal or professional situation when one has an obligation to do so.

Malpractice

A type of professional negligence consisting of five elements: duty, breach of duty, cause in fact, proximate cause, and damages.

Psychopharmacology

The study and use of medications (psychotropics) to treat mental health conditions by altering brain chemistry and function.

Neuron

A brain cell that responds to stimuli, conducts electrical impulses, and releases neurotransmitters.

Serotonin

An inhibitory monoamine neurotransmitter responsible for mood, sleep, appetite, and temperature regulation.

Norepinephrine

An excitatory monoamine neurotransmitter responsible for alertness, focus, energy, and the fight-or-flight response.

Dopamine

An excitatory monoamine that controls complex movements, motivation, and cognition; it is often increased ($\uparrow$) in psychosis.

GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid)

An inhibitory amino acid that acts as a calming neurotransmitter; decreased levels ($\downarrow$) are associated with anxiety.

Glutamate

An excitatory amino acid; high levels can result in neurotoxicity and excitotoxicity.

Reuptake

The process that transports neurotransmitters back into the presynaptic neuron to terminate their action.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ($SSRI$)

A class of antidepressants that work by blocking serotonin reuptake at the synaptic cleft.

Monoamine Oxidase ($MAO$)

An enzyme that metabolizes serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

Pharmacodynamics

Describes what a drug does to the body, including mechanism of action and dose-related effects.

Pharmacokinetics

Describes what the body does to the drug through absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion ($ADME$).

Therapeutic Index

A comparison of the effective dose to the toxic dose; a narrow index indicates a higher risk for toxicity.

Pharmacogenetics

The study of how genetic variation affects drug response, metabolism, and tolerability.

$$HLA-B*1502$$

A genetic variant associated with severe skin reactions to the medication carbamazepine.