Confidentiality — The Psychotherapist's Nemesis

Extract

This case concerns a new strand to an old yarn, the eternal triangle. It is new in that in addition to the usual cast, le mari, la femme, et l'amant (the husband, the wife, and the lover), new characters, the husband's “psychiatric team,” have been joined as parties. In fact, the “team” has been sued for the injuries inflicted on l'amant by le mari.

This is the first paragraph of a recent opinion by the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland entitled Shaw v. Glickman. The case is noteworthy not because of its racy facts, but because it stimulates further discussion of an important issue — the duty of a psychotherapist to reveal confidential information about a patient to protect the public or a specific individual.