ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 3

Another Courtroom Assault on the Confidentiality of the Psychotherapist-Patient Relationship
Leong, GB
Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine, CA

Silva, JA
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX

Weinstock, R
Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine, CA

(Received 16 June 1994; accepted 10 January 1995)

Abstract

The therapeutic and legal protections afforded by California's psychotherapist-patient privilege have become increasingly eroded in such recent cases as People v. Wharton and Menendez v. Superior Court. In another capital case, People v. Webb, the California Supreme Court further erodes this privilege in regard to the private (confidential) treatment records of a prosecution witness. The Webb case and its possible implications are explored.

Keywords:
psychiatry, psychotherapy, privilege, confidentiality, privacy

Paper ID: JFS15398J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS15398J
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