Jump to content

Goldwater rule

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 50.193.103.35 (talk) at 20:56, 8 May 2017 (→‎Regarding Donald Trump). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The original piece in Fact magazine which prompted the introduction of the Goldwater rule. Likely costing Barry Goldwater a large number of potential votes, this practice was later deemed unethical by the APA.

The Goldwater rule is the informal name given to Section 7.3 in the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) code of ethics,[1] which states it is unethical for psychiatrists to give a professional opinion about public figures they have not examined in person, and from whom they have not obtained consent to discuss their mental health in public statements.[2] It is named after presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.[3][4]

The issue arose in 1964 when Fact published the article "The Unconscious of a Conservative: A Special Issue on the Mind of Barry Goldwater."[3][5] The magazine polled psychiatrists about American Senator Barry Goldwater and whether he was fit to be president.[6][7] The editor, Ralph Ginzburg, was sued for libel in Goldwater v. Ginzburg where Goldwater won $75,000 (approximately $737,000 today) in damages.[3]

Rule

Section 7.3, which appeared in the first edition of the APA's code of ethics in 1973 and is still in effect as of 2017,[8] says:

On occasion psychiatrists are asked for an opinion about an individual who is in the light of public attention or who has disclosed information about himself/herself through public media. In such circumstances, a psychiatrist may share with the public his or her expertise about psychiatric issues in general. However, it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement.[1]

The American Psychological Association code of ethics also supports the Goldwater Rule as is clearly explained by the New York Times letter published on March 11, 2016, from APA President Susan H. McDaniel, PhD, in response to its March 7, 2016, article, "Should Therapists Analyze Presidential Candidates?"[9]

Violations

Regarding Donald Trump

In 2016 and 2017, a number of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists faced criticism for violating the Goldwater rule, as they claimed that Donald Trump displayed "an assortment of personality problems, including grandiosity, a lack of empathy, and 'malignant narcissism,'" and that he has a "dangerous mental illness." despite having never examined him.[10][11]

The organizer of this group criticized the rule, citing therapists' duty to warn; Dr John Gartner, a practicing psychologist, stated:[12] "We have an ethical responsibility to warn the public about Donald Trump's dangerous mental illness".

On the Water's World TV show [13] Gartner proclaimed that he believed that President Trump suffered from "Malignant narcissism" which is not a disorder listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) (APA, 2013) and is therefore not recognized by many in the profession as a valid disorder. [14]

Critics believe that Gartner used his notoriety to promote his upcoming book. His previous book "In Search of Bill Clinton: A Psychological Biography" was published in 2008 and was also written about a US President. [15] Per his website, "His work has been published in the Washington Post, Chicago-Sun Times, Baltimore Sun, Worth and Talk" [16]

Gartner is licensed by the Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists [17] and as a licensee he is bound to the ethical codes of the profession. No response has been made to the media by the Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists or by the American Psychological Association regarding Gartner's actions.

Criticism

References

  1. ^ a b "The Principles of Medical Ethics With Annotations Especially Applicable to Psychiatry" (PDF). American Psychiatric Association (2013 ed.). Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  2. ^ "Ethics Reminder Offered About 'Goldwater Rule' on Talking to Media". Psychiatric News. May 18, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "The Psychiatric Question: Is It Fair to Analyze Donald Trump From Afar?". New York Times. August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  4. ^ Richard A. Friedman (February 17, 2017). "Is It Time to Call Trump Mentally Ill?". New York Times. ... psychiatrists can discuss mental health issues with the news media, but that it is unethical for them to diagnose mental illnesses in people they have not examined and whose consent they have not received.
  5. ^ "ScattergoodEthics – Revisiting the Goldwater Rule". scattergoodethics.org. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  6. ^ Richard A. Friedman (May 23, 2011). "How a Telescopic Lens Muddles Psychiatric Insights". New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2011. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ "LBJ Fit to Serve". Associated Press. May 23, 1968. Retrieved May 24, 2011. Publisher Ralph Ginzburg, defendant in a libel suit for an article on a poll of psychiatrists on Barry Goldwater that he conducted in 1964 says ... {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ Kroll, J; Pouncey, C (June 2016), "The Ethics of APA's Goldwater Rule", Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 44 (2): 226–235, PMID 27236179
  9. ^ http://www.apa.org/news/press/response/presidential-candidates.aspx
  10. ^ Carey, Benedict (August 15, 2016). "The Psychiatric Question: Is It Fair to Analyze Donald Trump From Afar?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  11. ^ Steakin, William (April 21, 2017). "Dozens of psychiatry experts claim Trump has 'dangerous mental illness' at controversial conference". America Online. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  12. ^ {{Cite news|last=Bulman|first=May|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-dangerous-mental-illness-yale-psychiatrist-conference-us-president-unfit-james-gartner-a7694316.html%7Ctitle=Donald Trump has 'dangerous mental illness', say psychiatry experts at Yale conference|date=April 21, 2017|work=The Independent|access-date=April 25, 2017|language=en-GB|quote=
  13. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrOwOwl2WBo
  14. ^ https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm
  15. ^ http://www.johngartner.com/books-clinton.php
  16. ^ http://www.johngartner.com/about.php
  17. ^ https://mdbnc.dhmh.md.gov/psychVerification/Details.aspx?ID=6332
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goldwater_rule&oldid=779425560"