Socially Just Health Care in Mental Health Policy

Americans idealize personal freedom. Every citizen recognizes the cries for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness demanding individual choice be upheld in the United States. Our ideals are ingrained in our culture and manifest in our national documents, governances, and traditions. Our healthcare system is no exception. For years, medical schools have taught bioethics courses to student physicians. Schools design courses to train providers in biomedical ethics. Despite developing more patient centered treatments, mental health care -- a major component of health care -- lags behind in socially just care. Throughout my thesis I will discuss the discrepancy between somatic health care and mental health care, as well as the risks of compromising basic personal autonomy. In order for physicians to provide socially just health care, they must respect the principle of autonomy and abstain from treating a patient against their will. For the purposes of this paper, I am not writing an anti- nor a pro-suicide position. I do not suggest we stand idly by while watching someone gravely injure themselves or suffocate within their pain. What I am saying is that suicidal ideation is not mitigated by confinement and social isolation. Even if you believe suicide is wrong, overreacting to suicidal ideation is an ineffective and potentially harmful way to combat suicide. In this paper, I am questioning the policies of involuntary-psychiatric hospitalization.