The facts regarding the case of Joyce Brown, which can help in analyzing whether the treatment was appropriate and ethical and to what degree, are as follows:
After being picked up on the suggestion of the Mayor by the project team and after being presented in front of the court, the case of Joyce Brown takes two turns. Firstly, Judge Phillip ruled in favor of Joyce Brown, and the other turn appeared when the Appellate court overruled Judge Phillip’s decision. The question also arises when the psychiatrists later discovered that she was not schizophrenic but was immune to drugs that caused her to behave in that way.
Further, deciding whether a patient is suffering or not is a matter of concern. In the case of Joyce Brown, she denied the claim, however, the other party to the case was insisting the opposite. As far as involuntary commitment is concerned, this was the biggest fear of her. The matter of concern in this scenario was whether it would benefit the condition of the patient or she would continue to suffer. Her court-appointed psychiatrist also said that although she was suffering from mental illness, the forced treatment would further exacerbate the problem.
Research suggests that the long-term side effects of antipsychotics tend to appear worse as compared to their benefits when used during the period of treatment. Moreover, the concern of Joyce brown over the dealing of the institutions and their treatment of an unattached woman was unsafe also poses a great concern.
However there is another side of the picture as well, there is an evidence that suggests that more than 85% of panhandlers are alcoholics, mentally ill and substance abusers, thus these people need treatment. It also requires police intervention and urges people not to give money to beggars as it makes them enablers of addiction. Thus, when such a scenario applies to the case and in general, it helps us to understand the reason for Joyce brown and many others’ conditions for being on the street.
Also, there are many instances where research studies show that the number of murders and such acts of terrorism are being done by people who are mentally ill. It creates unrest among the rest of the public, and so is a serious concern.
Finally, the adults suspected of suffering from schizophrenia must be diagnosed properly, the disease does not impair the patient to give his/her consent for treatment the case of Greg is an example of it. Also caring for a patient suffering from any mental issue is not easy for the family members, however, they must not let the patient on the mercy of the institutions as was happened in the case of Joyce Brown.
Thus there are many dimensions with respect to the ethical side of treating a person like Joyce brown which requires proper understanding of the actual scenario.
Suppose one accepts that the insane need therapeutic help rather than criminal justice, then the insane need no trial to commit them to treatment. In a benevolent system, committing psychiatrists act in the best interest of such patients.
Works Cited
Nopip.org. N. p., 2018. Web. 24 Mar. 2018.
Pence, Gregory E. “Classic Cases in Medical Ethics: Accounts of Cases that Have Shaped Medical Ethics, with Philosophical, Legal, and Historical Backgrounds.” (2011).
