Depression: Law and Ethics

by Charles Foster (Editor), Jonathan Herring (Editor)

Overview

Depression is amorphous. It defies easy generalization, and eludes medical and legal categories. Is it part of the self, or its predator? Can a sufferer be held responsible for their actions? This edited collection provides a holistic study of a protean illness. If the law is to regulate the lives of those who suffer from depression, it is vital that lawyers understand the condition. Drawing upon a wide-ranging expertise, this volume looks at depression from four viewpoints: that of the sufferer, the clinician, the ethicist, and the lawyer. Topics covered include the cultural history of depression; causes, epidemiology, and diagnosis; the autonomy debate; criminal responsibility; public health law; depression in the workplace; depression and children; and assisted suicide. First-hand accounts from sufferers are followed by contributions from clinicians who say what depression is, outline its demography and therapeutic options, and indicate the legal and ethical problems that trouble them the most. The essays then go on to explore legal and ethical questions in depth. This collection is essential reading for lawyers seeking a broader understanding of depression, and non-lawyers seeking an insight into the difficulty law has engaging with the condition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192522146
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	09/08/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	823 KB

About the Author

Charles Foster is a fellow of Green Templeton College and a practising barrister at Serjeants' Inn Chambers. He is a member of the faculty of law, a senior research associate at the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, and a research associate at the Ethox Centre and the Helex Centre, all at the University of Oxford. His books include: Altruism, Welfare and the Law (with Jonathan Herring), Dementia: Law and Ethics (Editor, with Jonathan Herring and Israel Doron), Medical Law: A Very Short Introduction, Human dignity in bioethics and law, and Choosing Life, choosing Death - The Tyranny of Autonomy in Medical Law and Ethics. As a barrister he has been involved in many leading cases in recent years, including the assisted dying litigation in the House of Lords (Purdy) and the Supreme Court (Nicklinson). Jonathan Herring is a professor of law and fellow of Exeter College at the University of Oxford. He has written many books on issues around medical law and ethics, family law, criminal law, care law, and elder law. A full list of his publications can be found at http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/profile/herringj. His books include A Very Short Introduction to Family Law , Criminal Law, and Older People in Law and Society.

Table of Contents

Part One: Sufferers
1. Depression is Like Nothing on Earth, Iain McGilchrist
2. Tristimania, Jay Griffiths
3. On Being Not Depressed, Charles Foster
Part Two: Clinical
4. Depression: Symptomatology, Diagnosis, and Classification, Phil Cowen
5. The Aetiology of Depression, Theodoros Bargiotas
6. A Cultural History of Depression, German E Berrios and Ivana S Markova
7. The Epidemiology of Depression, Gemma Lewis and Glyn Lewis
8. Depressive Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence, Anthony James
9. Depression in the Ill and the Dying, Julian C Hughes
10. The Treatment of Depression: An Overview of the Physical Options, Hugh Series
11. Treatment: An Overview of Talking Therapies, Chris Williams and David Osborne
Part Three: Ethics
12. Ethics and Depression: A Personal Perspective, Richard Ashcroft
13. Being Yourself: Authentic Decision-making and Depression, Jesse Wall
14. Depressions Plural: Pathology and the Challenge of Values, K W M (Bill) Fulford, David Crepaz-Keay, and Giovanni Stanghellini
15. Is Treating Depression Just Like Treating Appendicitis?, Paul Biegler
16. The Impact of Depression on Healthcare Decisions: Autonomy, Capacity, and Competence, Rebecca Saracino, Melissa Masterson, and Barry Rosenfeld
17. Depression in the Developing World, Harry Minas
Part Four: Law
18. Depression and Consent to Treatment: The Limits of a Capacity-based Approach, Mary Donnelly
19. Depression and Public Health Law: Ethics, Governance, and the Socio-Political Determinants of Health and Well-being, John Coggon
20. Legal Regulation of Treatment for Depression, Hugh Series
21. Depression in Criminal Law and Process, Arlie Loughnan
22. Depression and Civil Liability, Charles Foster
23. Depression in the Workplace: An Employment Law Response, Alan Bogg and Sarah Green
24. Depression and Children, Jonathan Herring
25. Depression and Assisted Dying: Putting the Black Dog to Sleep?, Richard Huxtable