2002•Annals of the Academy of Medicine SingaporeRequires access

Mental Disorders and Public Safety of the Community at Large—Does the Tarasoff Principle Apply in Singapore?

Kok Lp, Hwa Ling Yap, Molly Cheang

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Abstract

The Tarasoff Principle is a legal ruling arising out of the Tarasoff case in California, in which 2 therapists were found by a court to be negligent for not warning an intended victim of a threat to her by their mentally disordered patient, and she was subsequently killed. The 2 therapists were deemed to have an obligation to protect an intended victim of a patient who presented a serious danger of violence. The question is whether this would apply under Singapore law, and whether an act of disclosure to protect a victim would be a breach of confidentiality and the doctor-patient relationship.

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What this paper is about

The Tarasoff Principle is a legal ruling arising out of the Tarasoff case in California, in which 2 therapists were found by a court to be negligent for not warning an intended victim of a threat to her by their mentally disordered patient, and she was subsequently killed. The 2 therapists were deemed to have an obligation to protect an intended victim of a patient who presented a serious danger of violence. The question is whether this would apply under Singapore law, and whether an act of disclosure to protect a victim would be a breach of confidentiality and the doctor-patient relationship.

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OpenAlex reports 2 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

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Available abstract

The Tarasoff Principle is a legal ruling arising out of the Tarasoff case in California, in which 2 therapists were found by a court to be negligent for not warning an intended victim of a threat to her by their mentally disordered patient, and she was subsequently killed. The 2 therapists were deemed to have an obligation to protect an intended victim of a patient who presented a serious danger of violence. The question is whether this would apply under Singapore law, and whether an act of disclosure to protect a victim would be a breach of confidentiality and the doctor-patient relationship.

Key concepts: Obligation, Confidentiality, Duty to warn, Psychology, Duty to protect, Law, Psychiatry, Criminology

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