Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:653-656
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
Can psychiatry police itself effectively? The experience of one district branch
A Zitrin and H Klein
The growing demand by consumers and government for greater accountability
from psychiatry is challenging the traditional system of self-policing by
which the profession's standards of ethical conduct are established and
maintained. The authors describe the operations of a district branch ethics
committee, including types of complaints recieved, investigatory
procedures, disposition of cases, and factors limiting the committee's
effectiveness. They conclude that in some cases lack of funds, lack of
time, and the use of peers to judge alleged misconduct make unbiased and
thorough evaluation of complaints difficult. They suggest that psychiatry
must take steps to improve public confidence in its ability to police
itself so that the power to regulate professional conduct will remain
within the profession.
