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. 2018 Nov;213(5):633-637.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.2018.132. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

It is ethical to diagnose a public figure one has not personally examined

John Gartner  1 , Alex Langford  2 , Aileen O'Brien  3
Affiliations

It is ethical to diagnose a public figure one has not personally examined

John Gartner et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2018 Nov.

Erratum in

Abstract

Should psychiatrists be able to speculate in the press or social media about their theories? John Gartner argues the risk to warn the public of concerns about public figures overrides the duty of confidentiality; whereas Alex Langford suggests this is beyond the ethical remit of psychiatric practice.Declaration of interestA.O'B is joint debates and analysis Editor of the British Journal of Psychiatry. J.G. is the founder of Duty To Warn, an association of mental health professionals who advocate the president's removal under the 25th Amendment on the grounds that he is psychologically unfit and dangerous.

Keywords: Diagnosis; history of psychiatry; media.

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Comment in

  • Scapegoating mentally ill people.
    Riordan DV. Riordan DV. Br J Psychiatry. 2019 Aug;215(2):504-505. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2019.148. Br J Psychiatry. 2019. PMID: 31288887 No abstract available.
  • Gartner is a clinical psychologist.
    Braithwaite R. Braithwaite R. Br J Psychiatry. 2019 Aug;215(2):505. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2019.149. Br J Psychiatry. 2019. PMID: 31288888 No abstract available.
  • Ethics of debating if it is ethical to diagnose public figures!
    Chaturvedi SK. Chaturvedi SK. Br J Psychiatry. 2019 Aug;215(2):505. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2019.150. Br J Psychiatry. 2019. PMID: 31288889 No abstract available.
  • Editors' response.
    O'Brien A, Bhui K. O'Brien A, et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2019 Aug;215(2):505-506. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2019.151. Br J Psychiatry. 2019. PMID: 31288890 No abstract available.