Ethical and Legal Considerations Associated With the Diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder

Ethical and legal considerations regulate the diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and management of dissociative identity disorder (Mitra & Jain, 2022). The law gives patients the right to seek a second opinion. Psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals must seek the patient’s consent before treating the patient. In cases where the patient is a child or adolescent, the patient’s parents or guardian must be consulted for consent. Additionally, a patient must understand their diagnosis and treatment plan. Mental health workers must keep patient records, chart notes, and informed consent forms. They should not influence a patient’s memory.

References

Lynn, S. J., Lilienfeld, S. O., Merckelbach, H., Maxwell, R., Aksen, D., Baltman, J., & Giesbrecht, T. (2019). Dissociative disorders. In Psychopathology (pp. 355-376). Routledge.

Lynn, S. J., Maxwell, R., Merckelbach, H., Lilienfeld, S. O., van Heugten-van der Kloet, D., & Miskovic, V. (2019). Dissociation and its disorders: Competing models, future directions, and a way forward. Clinical Psychology Review, 73, 101755.