Ethical dilemmas related to confidentiality

Abstract

An ethical dilemma arises when two duties of mandatory fulfilment enter collision or when the only way of fulfilling an obligation is transgressing another one. Professional confidentiality is the duty of those with certain professions of not revealing information known in their professional practice. It is protected by Law and by Ethical Codes and exceptions to it will only apply to legal  inperatives or to avoid harming to third people, to the patient or to the same psychologist. Fixed rules cannot be established in conflictive situations related to the duty of confidentiality. According to the legislation and the ethical principles and standards, we would have to evaluate and to consider each individual circumstance working with prudence a balance between: 1) magnitude of harm (major or minor) and 2) probability of it taking place (high or low). According to the Law, it is important to inform our users at the beginning of the professional relationship in the process of the informed consent and the limits about the maintenance of the confidentiality.