Child and Youth Psychopathology: Ethics and Legal Considerations

Dealing with children and youth experiencing psychopathology requires strict adherence to applicable ethics codes and law. The American Psychological Association ethics code includes five principles: (a) beneficence and nonmaleficence; (b) fidelity and responsibility; (c) integrity; (d) justice; and (e) respect for people’s rights and dignity. However, we found that they are not developmentally oriented. Therefore, we consulted the ethics code of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, leading to the following topics in the chapter: 1. Ethics: (a) Developmental Considerations; (b) Beneficence/Nonmaleficence; (c) Autonomy and Life Preservation (including child abuse); (d) Assessment and Diagnosis; (e) Research; (f) Divorce; and 2. Law and Science. We consider in depth critical areas such as informed consent, child abuse reporting, duty to warn, assessment, child custody evaluations, research, and evidence-based practice. We emphasize the importance of science at all points in working ethically with children. Laws reviewed include critical United Nations ones, for example, related to child rights, HIPAA, and Daubert as applied to child custody evaluations.