Ethics, Culture, and Psychiatry: International Perspectives

Ethics, Culture, and Psychiatry: International Perspectives is a textbook that
explores the best ways to promote the use of the Declaration of Madrid, which
outlines ethical standards for psychiatric practice throughout the world. The
book is written with two questions in mind, both easy to pose and difficult to
answer: Is it possible to formulate a set of principles that will be valid for
all psychiatrists, regardless of the cultures to which they belong or in which
they live and practice, or are there as many sets of ethical principles as there
are cultures? If there is such a set of principles, what should we do to ensure
that psychiatry as a discipline makes a significant contribution to societal
good without helping the evil?

To facilitate the exploration of this
territory, 15 experts from a variety of cultures examine the most pressing
ethical issues prevalent within the current practice of psychiatry. Many of the
dilemmas probed in this book are routinely encountered by clinicians who work in
increasingly multicultural societies. The text covers issues that are broadly
relevant to clinical practice and research, including: An overview of ethics
and societies around the world Discussions of ethical practices and dilemmas
specific to various cultural regions Transcultural debate on overarching
issues, such as incompetent patients, informed consent, and mental health law
reform The complete copy of The Declaration of Madrid printed in the appendix

Readers will find that this is a textbook that stimulates and supports,
rather than closes, the debate on ethical aspects of professional psychiatric
behavior. Ethics, Culture, and Psychiatry: International Perspectives is much
more than just a book on ethics - it is a major contribution to understanding
the impact of culture and history on the ethical practice of medicine around the
world, and a continuous search for a consensus on how to live together and make
contributions to the well-being of people with mental illness, their families,
and the family of humans on our planet.