Henedina L.

Tayag
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology

TARASOFF v. REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (1976)

In the case of Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California (1976), the

California Supreme Court ruled that mental health professionals have a duty to protect
individuals who are potentially at risk of harm from their patients. The case arose from the
murder of Tatiana Tarasoff by her former acquaintance, Prosenjit Poddar, who had confided
his intention to kill her to a psychologist at the university's counseling center. The
psychologist did not take action to warn Tarasoff or her family, and she was subsequently
murdered by Poddar. The court held that mental health professionals have a duty to protect
potential victims when a patient poses a serious threat of violence, even if the threat is not
specifically directed at an identifiable person. This duty includes warning potential victims
and taking other reasonable steps to prevent harm. The ruling established the concept of "duty
to warn" or "duty to protect" in cases involving threats of violence made by patients during
therapy sessions. This decision significantly impacted the standards of care for mental health
professionals and the legal obligations they owe to both their patients and potential victims of
harm.

The Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California (1976) case changed how
mental health professionals handle confidentiality. Before this case, therapists kept patient
information private. But the ruling said therapists must warn potential victims if a patient
might hurt them. This means therapists have to take action to protect people from harm if
they think there's a serious risk. They might have to warn the potential victims, tell the police,
or do other things to keep them safe.

As a result, mental health professionals must balance keeping information private

with keeping people safe. They have to decide when it's okay to break confidentiality to
protect others. This case shows how important it is for therapists to think carefully about the
risks and benefits of sharing private information to prevent harm while still respecting their
patients' privacy.