How Can I Defend Myself If I Am The Victim Of Psychiatric Malpractice?

While many people may not think of psychiatric care when they hear about medical malpractice, these incidents can be just as detrimental to victims. When a psychiatrist makes a mistake and causes patient harm, they can be held liable. At The Weitz Firm, LLC, we are here to help victims in these cases. Our Philadelphia psychiatric malpractice attorneys will get to work investigating your case if you have been harmed. Our goal is to secure the compensation you need.

Proving a psychiatric malpractice claim

Psychiatric malpractice is real, and it must be taken seriously. Many people do not realize that psychiatrists are real doctors. They went to medical school and they have focused their training on helping people with psychological disorders. They are allowed to prescribe medications and are heavily involved in patient care. A psychiatrist-patient relationship is very personal.

However, there are times when psychiatrists are negligent and cause patient harm. While there are various ways malpractice can occur, there are four elements that must be proven in order for a case to be successful. This includes:

• Duty. It must be shown that there was a duty to care established. In these cases, this will be shown by proving that there was a psychiatrist-patient relationship.
• Breach. When a duty of care is established, it needs to be shown that the duty was breached by the psychiatrist. This will typically be viewed from the lens of whether or not they provided an adequate standard of care. In other words, did the psychiatrist act in a way that a similarly trained psychiatrist would have in the same situation? If the answer is no, they may be guilty of malpractice.
• Harm. If a breach of duty is established, it needs to be shown that the patient suffered actual harm. This includes both physical or emotional harm caused by the alleged malpractice.
• Link. Finally, it needs to be shown that there is a direct link between the breach of duty and the harm that a patient sustained.

Proving all of this on your own will be incredibly difficult. A qualified and experienced medical malpractice attorney in Philadelphia, particularly one with psychiatric malpractice experience, will be able to properly investigate your case in order to secure maximum compensation.

Our team is ready to get to work on your behalf

If you or somebody you love has been the victim of psychiatric malpractice, seek legal assistance as soon as possible. At The Weitz Firm, LLC, we have extensive experience handling all types of medical malpractice cases. We understand what it takes to secure the compensation you need, including the following:

• Compensation for all medical expenses related to the psychiatric error
• Coverage of lost income and benefits if you cannot work
• Payment for additional psychiatric services from somebody else
• Loss of enjoyment of life damages
• Pain and suffering damages
• Punitive damages against the healthcare provider or agency responsible

If you need a Philadelphia psychiatric malpractice attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 267-587-6240.