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I can highly recommend this book which covers a very complex and difficult field of confidentiality in mental health. The book explores the theoretical and practical implications of confidentiality and disclosure of professionals working with those suffering from mental health problems. This complex field is covered by 13 different presentations by various professionals from different perspectives including child and adult psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, criminal law, community psychiatry, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, social work, nursing and philosophy. While the problem with collections of papers is often a lack of coherence and focus, the advantage in this case is that the many problems of confidentiality in mental health can be explored from a variety of different angles, opening up many questions for which there are often no clear answers.
There is clearly more and more emphasis these days on professionals having to be open about what they do. In the past there has been too much secrecy and too much use of professional jargon and mystique in order to maintain professional power. This has resulted in a number of scandals which have mainly come to light in the field of medical and surgical practice. However, the issues involved are also very relevant to those dealing with mental health in adults, adolescents and children. One could say that the secrecy was a side effect of the need for confidentiality. Along with the need now for professionals to be more open there has been the danger of the erosion of confidentiality. This is particularly now a problem due to the fact that most professionals work in multi-disciplinary teams. The advantage of this is the ability to share ideas and to share stresses and strains but the danger of losing confidentiality is that much greater. The professional is often then caught in a difficult situation between, on the one hand, trying to maintain confidentiality and, on the other hand, having to share information. At the same tim