Ethics and Mental Disorders

Monique de Villa &

Brian Horn

Thesis Kill one dictator to save lives of thousands

of people?

Did you do the right thing?

Kill felon to save parents’ lives?

Would you still feel the same?

Examples of ethical dilemmas that can negatively affect someone’s mental health

Key Points Ethics

Deontology

Dorothy

Mental Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD in Wizard of Oz

Thesis Restated

Video

Conclusion

Ethics Values

Determine personalities

Harmony/agreement in group

Societal views of “right” and “wrong”

Ethical dilemmas

Deontology Greek root “deon” = duty

Rule-based

Kant

“Act only according to that maxim by which, you can at the same time, will that it should become a universal law”

Categorical imperatives

External motivations moral praise

Dorothy “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, a big

beast like you to bite a poor little dog!” (Baum 107)

“Bite my dog” vs. “bite a poor little dog”

“…but we have lost the Scarecrow, and we are wondering how we shall get him again” (Baum 136)

Morally wrong to abandon

Dorothy’s duty

Mental Disorders Abnormal brain development.

Deals with one’s ability to feel, act, think or perceive.

Many categories such as:

Anxiety Disorders

Personality Disorders

Factitious Disorders

Etc.

Anxiety Disorders Disorder where the patient suffers from

anxiety alongside:

Excessive worrying

Apprehension

Fear

Can cripple one’s daily activities if not treated.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders

Occurs after a traumatic event

Natural Disaster

Child abuse

Separation from parents at a young age

Symptoms include

Increased Agitation

Avoidance

Re-experiencing the trauma

PTSD Dorothy and the Cyclone.

Dorothy is violently stripped from her parents and placed in an unfamiliar world.

The first thing she is told by the Munchkins is that she killed the witch.

The Wicked Witch of the West vows revenge on the death of her sister.

Thesis Restated Some events concerning ethical dilemmas

can trigger a negative effect on one’s mental well-being.

Video “…the process underlying deontological

decisions is assumed to be fast, affective, and resource-independent…”

Wicked Witch of the West is killed by Dorothy while saving the life of the Scarecrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aopdD9Cu-So

Conclusion Ethical dilemmas can result in negative

effects of one’s mental or even social well-being

Examples:

The Lion attack

The Cyclone

The Melting Witch

Works Referenced Alexander, Larry, and Michael Moore.

"Deontological Ethics." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.

Jones, Gary E., and Joseph P. DeMarco. "KANT'S MORAL THEORY." Law & Bioethics. Seed Publishing, 2007. Web. 01 May 2013.

McCormick, Matt. "Immanuel Kant: Metaphysics." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., 30 June 2005. Web. 01 May 2013.

Works Referenced Baum, Lyman Frank., William Wallace.

Denslow, and Michael Patrick. Hearn. The Annotated Wizard of Oz. New York, NY: W. W. Norton, 2000. Print.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Boston's Children Hospital, 2011. Web. 04 May 2013.

"PTSD in Children and Adolescents." - NATIONAL CENTER for PTSD. U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 21 Dec. 2012. Web. 04 May 2013.