[The Ethical approach of Performing Organ Transplantation on Patients with Psychotic Disorders: A Review]

Medical Ethics

This paper analyses the practice of often rejecting patients with psychotic disorders from organ transplantation. The paper reviews the details and available information regarding how psychotic disorders are incorporated into eligibility criteria at the national and institutional level which could cause medical dilemmas. We then review studies that examines the effects psychotic disorders on transplant outcomes. The evaluation as a potential transplant patient will include appointments with social workers, psychologists, and financial counselors. Evaluation is done for the ability to understand instructions and your treatment. Patients who have untreated psychiatric or mental disorders may be disqualified for treatment if the disorder prevents the patient from caring for themselves or suicidal occurrences. For example, a schizophrenic patient who is not taking medication and is having delusions would not be considered a good candidate for an organ transplant. Intellectual disability is not an automatic exclusion from receiving a transplant if there is a strong support system in place, but this varies from institution to institution where medical dilemmas could occur. The stress of waiting for a transplant can be difficult for families, and the social workers and psychologists will work to evaluate how well you and your loved ones will cope with the wait. This paper reviews the requirements of justice and argue that policies that preclude patients with and psychotic disorders from transplantation are medical dilemmas.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.