Personal Dilemma

Personal Dilemma Paper

There is an ethical dilemma that is in the news. A therapist in a neighboring town was stabbed by a patient. The patient was very mentally unstable. He thought that the therapist was the devil. He told the officer that she was the devil and he took care of the devil. According to "Man charged with stabbing therapist" (2014), the "man was charged with first degree battery, aggravated assault and carrying a weapon".

Ethical Decision

The therapist was put in a situation where she had to make a decision about her patient. He attacked her with a kitchen knife. She was wearing high heel shoes. She had to make the decision to possibly hurt the mentally unstable patient. She started kicking the patient. If she had not done that he would have stabbed her more than the four times that he did.

Alternative Course of Action

The patient had been mentally unstable for a long period of time. If the therapist had taken more precautions when dealing with the mentally unstable patient, she would not have been hurt and neither would the patient. The therapist could have put the patient in a inpatient setting. If this would have been the case the patient would not have had access to the weapon. The patient was taken into custody.

Outcome of Situation

The patient was arrested, and the therapist had to have multiple surgeries for the stab wounds that she had. The outcome of this situation could have been very different. The patient could have been institutionalized before this incident happened, or the therapist could have made sure that the patient did not have any weapons on him. This patient had been unstable for a long period of time. He could have done this or even worse to anyone at any time. According to "Jonesboro Man Arrested for Stabbing Therapist (2014), the "man was taken to the Craighead County Detention Center, and charged".

Conclusion

A mentally unstable man stabbed his therapist during a session. He stated that she was the devil and he took care of the devil. The man was taken into custody by police. He was charged with first degree battery, aggravated assault, and carrying a weapon. The therapist could have been injured worse than she was already. She had to have

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