The case of Tarasoff vs Regents ruled that the therapist of a patient has the right to report if their patient makes a threat against someone else. When is it morally wrong to call or not to call? What is considered not bad enough to report?
Well, for me, I think if I were a therapist and my patient told me he or she was going to hurt someone, it doesn’t matter if it’s a fight or a murderer, violence is bad no matter what. I would also get details on when they planned to do it and where, so I could better help the police locate them before they make a huge mistake. Of course, before all of this, I would want to talk them out of doing it in the first place. So, when is it right to protect the patient? I would say when they want to fight back against abuse.
I don’t support violence in any way, but a threat is usually not carried out. If the patient is being abused by someone who is supposed to protect them, like a mother, father, or uncle, the patient has the right to defend themselves. There is a thin line between violence and self-defense, and it reminds me of a real case that involved a child who thought she had all these problems, so the mother could get sympathy money for her “being sick.” The girl ended up finding out she had none of those problems and decided to get her boyfriend to kill her.
Now, killing your parent isn’t something anyone should do, but I think I get her reasoning, but I would not justify her actions; murder is murder after all. She did serve time in jail.
With all that said, I do believe the police should be involved, even if it’s a self-defense, to make sure the wrong person is arrested or at least put in a place where they can get help. Everyone deserves a chance to explain their actions, not to justify but to be fair in letting them be heard.
