CNN The Situation Room March 27, 2015 22:37:00
Does a psychiatrist from your perspective have any room to break that patient confidentiality and report someone who may be a danger to the public? >> yeah luckily in the u.s. we have doctor/patient privilege or confidentiality. when that patient who is being treated is purported to maybe be a risk of bodily injury or death to someone else the doctor here has a duty to report it. now in germany under the law, that's not the case. in germany, the doctor has discretion to report it. they can break that confidentiality. but it's up to their discretion and they have to duty. that can be a problem....