Ethical issues in psychiatric care: geneticisation and community care

This paper will examine two different though related themes in current deba tes about ethical issues in psychiatric care. There is, first, the general question of who should be the main focus of the debate: the individual, the family, the local community, or the wider society? Secondly, the current c ontroversies about the genetic basis of mental disorders will be explored w ith reference to their implications for both images and understanding of me ntal disorders and for psychiatric care. Would the understanding of the gen etic causes of mental disorder lead to better treatments and better accepta nce or to the potential for increased discrimination and stigmatisation?