Virtual Mentor. August 2004, Volume 6, Number 8.

August 2004 Contents

Ethical Issues in Neurology

Ethics Poll

1. A neurologist who has treated an ALS patient over the course of the disease may be justified in complying with that patient's request for physician-assisted suicide.
Always
Sometimes
Never

2. A person with a family history of Alzheimer's or Huntington's disease has an ethical duty to disclose that information to an intended spouse or life partner.
Always
Sometimes
Never

3. The person described in Question 2 has an ethical duty to his or her intended spouse or partner to have a genetic test for the disease in question before becoming symptomatic.
Always
Sometimes
Never

4. Those without a diagnosed cognitive disorder (eg, ADHD) who use a CNS stimulant like methylphenidate (Ritalin) to enhance their ability to focus in competitive academic situations take unfair advantage of their peers.
Agree
Disagree

5. Physicians should not prescribe SSRIs (eg, Prozac) for mood enhancement unless they believe that the patient's emotional status interferes to some degree with his or her psychosocial adjustment.
Agree
Disagree

View results

From the Editor

Thinking About Ethical Issues in Neurology
James Gordon
Full Text

Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Physicians' Role in Physician-Assisted Suicide Discussions
Commentary by Wendy Johnston and Paul Bascom
Full Text

Helping Surrogate Decision Makers in the Face of Uncertainty
Commentary by Robert Taylor
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Is Chronic Pain Treatment the Neurologist's Job?
Commentary by Erich Garland
Full Text

Journal Discussion

Ethical Issues in the Application and Prescription of CNS Interventions
Abraham P. Schwab
Full Text

Clinical Pearl

Diagnosing The Permanent Vegetative State
Ronald Cranford
Full Text

Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

Words Count as Much as Deeds
Leah Eisenberg and Melissa Junge
Full Text

Policy Forum

Brain Death: At Once "Well Settled" and "Persistently Unresolved"
Robert Truog
Full Text

Medicine and Society

Presymptomatic Genetic Testing for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Shane K. Green
Full Text

The Living Code

Considering Organ Donation by Anencephalic Neonates
Faith Lagay
Full Text

Op-Ed and Correspondence

Op-Ed

Cosmetic Neurology: For Physicians the Future Is Now
Anjan Chatterjee
Full Text

Neuroethics
Martha Farah
Full Text

Resources

Suggested Readings and Resources
Full Text

Test Questions
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About the Contributors
Full Text