The goal of this book is to shed psychoanalytic light on a
concept--informed consent--that has transformed the delivery of health
care in the United States.
Examining the concept of informed consent in the context of
psychoanalysis, the book first summarizes the law and literature on this
topic. Is informed consent required as a matter of positive law? Apart
from statutes and cases, what do the professional organizations say
about this?
Second, the book looks at informed consent as a theoretical matter. It
addresses such questions as: What would be the elements of a robust
informed consent in psychoanalysis? Is informed consent even possible
here? Can patients really understand, say, transference or regression
before they experience them, and is it too late once they have? Is
informed consent therapeutic or countertherapeutic? Can a "process view"
of informed consent make sense here?
Third, the book reviews data on the topic. A lengthy questionnaire
answered by sixty-two analysts reveals their practices in this regard.
Do they obtain a statement of informed consent from their patients? What
do they disclose? Why do they disclose it? Do they think it is possible
to obtain informed consent in psychoanalysis at all? Do they think the
practice is therapeutic or countertherapeutic, and in what ways? Do they
think there should or should not be an informed consent requirement for
psychoanalysis?
The book should appeal above all to therapists interested in the ethical
dimensions of their practice.
