Bill Addresses Higher Suicide Rate And Mental Healthcare Needs Of Veterans

The San Diego Union-Tribune (2/14, Steele) reported “momentum in the battle against suicide” among veterans “with several bills pending in Congress.” One measure, “which applies to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, addresses the higher suicide rate among female veterans and the mental health care needs of vets privy to classified material.” Meanwhile, there is still ongoing “tension between medical privacy rights and family involvement.” Privacy between a physician and a patient “is a basic principle of medicine.” American Psychiatric Association president Renee Binder, MD, “said there are exceptions to confidentiality, including an emergency. But otherwise, the best a psychiatrist or therapist can do is encourage a patient to include loved ones, she said.”

Related Links:

— “Congress considers veteran suicide bills,” Jeanette Steele, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 14, 2016.

Posted in In The News.