An Observation of Clients Suffering from Common Mental Disorders and the Legal Implications of Sharing Patient Information

An Observation of Clients Suffering from Common Mental Disorders and the Legal Implications of Sharing Patient Information In the past week, I observed two clients who were suffering from common mental disorders although the development of the condition was very different especially because of the existing differences in social environment. The clients had a behavioral engagement group session. Sharing of patient information without their consent is illegal as per the HIPAA guidelines although provision of a general focus and understanding is accepted without exposing the privacy of the clients. Client description The first client was a thirteen-year-old male child who was having an oppositional defiant disorder. This was confirmed after a series of tests. The client was very argumentative and got easily annoyed even for no good reason. The client had not sought any prior medical attention since the situation was largely assumed by parents who thought that it was just a stage before escalating where the client at times was unable to control his action. The second client that I observed was a 15-year-old male who had serious challenges regarding her ability to concentrate. The client could not focus and pay attention for a continuous ten minutes. This situation was very worrying especially his school life where his grades were getting poor and there was no way that even teachers and his parents could do to change the trend. The client was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (McGillivray Evert, 2014). DSM-5 The DSM-5 highlights that for an individual to be diagnosed with mental disorder condition, they must have had emotional and behavioral symptoms that have lasted for a period of at least six months. This requirement was valid in this case considering the fact that the clients had the condition for years. The condition of their mental disorders were moderate since the symptoms used to occur both at home and at school (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Legal implications The legal issues in both cases are based on ensuring that patient information is held with privacy and high level of confidentiality to ensure that the privacy of each patient is maintained. This enhances professional relationship between the client and the counselor. The client must consent to the treatment intervention suggested. This entails informed consent that is a serious aspect in delivery of healthcare (Wheeler, 2014).