The raging student movement that had Berkeley on the boil left him cold; like most other Indian students, he was focused on his studies and getting his degree before his scholarship ran out. I also feel that the therapist did exactly what they were supposed to do in the Tarasoff case. After returning to her home, he called police. A book on such a tragedy must already be in the making. If Prosenjit Poddar’s denouement can be, as it has been, put down to culture shock, the inability to adjust to a fast paced, open society going from a country tied to the Hindu rate of growth, both economically and socially, Mainak Sarkar was the product of a liberalised India where the latest American sitcoms are beamed into sitting rooms via satellite TV. losing jobs, yet bought a big house for his wife and three children — which he couldn't afford. Firstpost - All Rights Reserved. Poddar returned to India, soon to leave for Germany where he is said to remain, with a good Bengali wife and a daughter. He married his wife, Janice, in 1975. About two months later, in October of 1969, Tatiana returned to California from Brazil, and Poddar began following her again. He was from Durgapur, a couple of hours drive from Kolkata; he was from Balurghat, a small town in north Bengal, close to the Bangladesh border, which had no rail connection till a few years ago. Not someone who had set IIT on fire but still good enough for America. But what if therapists are required to breach confidentiality due to state or provincial laws? In ruling on the case of Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, the court determined that the need for therapists to protect the public was more important that protecting client-therapist confidentiality. Prosenjit Poddar, a foreign graduate student, came to the University of California (UC), Berkeley, from Bengal, India, in 1967. Copyright © 2020. 16502. Example 1: In the fall of 1969, Prosenjit Poddar, a citizen of India and naval architecture student at the University of California’s Berkeley campus, shot and stabbed to death Tatiana Tarasoff, a young woman who had spurned his affections. But Tanya obsessed him. He served five years in prison until a lawyer successfully appealed the conviction. Plaintiffs, Tatiana's parents, allege that two months earlier Poddar confided his intention to kill Tatiana to Dr. Lawrence Moore, a psychologist. On new year’s eve Tanya kissed him – with nothing in mind. When Tatiana rebuffed him, Poddar began stalking her and underwent an emotional crisis for which he began psychological counseling at the university medical centre. Level 6. The patient says he is going to go home tonight and slap his wife in the face. He began seeing a therapist, Lawrence Moore. If a therapist decides to breach confidentiality, he or she might face a malpractice complaint from an outraged patient insisting that the threat was never serious. Confidentiality is one of the pillars of therapy and is insanely important to upkeep; the special relationship between a client and their therapist is built upon trust. Overall it is a good summary but the details are not not factual. They became friends, she visiting him in his room at the International House where they chatted, even as he secretly taping their conversations. Poddar returned to India, soon to leave for Germany where he is said to remain, with a good Bengali wife and a daughter. I have just finished reading BAD KARMA which was authored by a fellow student at Berkeley at the same time. While Bersoff does not suggest that potentially violent patients should be allowed to endanger the public, he does argue that breaching confidentiality should only be done as a last resort. I find it hard to believe that a mental health professional can have the confidence of his abilities but hide behind it not being an exact science. Poddar was obsessed with Tarasoff and following their breakup he was devastated and depressed. February 7, 1974.] The doctor does not warn the woman and she is killed by Poddar. When Prosenjit Poddar reached Berkeley in 1967, the number of Indian students, in fact the number of Indians in America was barely a fraction of what it is today. Poddar then told his therapist about wanting to kill her. (Opinion by Wright, C. J., with Tobriner, Mosk, Burke and Sullivan, JJ., concurring. Poddar then stopped attending therapy with Moore. If we can involuntarily commit a patient who has suicidal ideation with plans to kill themselves, why wouldn't we take a threat to human life seriously in any case? student at University of Berkley dated fellow student Prosenjit Poddar. Prosenjit Poddar was born into the Harijan (untouchable) caste in Bengal, India. Poddar interpreted the kiss as a symbol of the seriousness of their relationship. The perpetrator, Prosenjit Poddar, was an Indian graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley who had met Tarasoff at a folk dancing class on campus. He would have to be tried again. They dated briefly but she rejected him. In Bank. Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today. Discovering him in this state a fellow IIT-ian dragged him to the university medical centre where he was put under the charge of a psychiatrist. Breaching confidentiality is a serious matter and can severely undermine the trust that patients have in their therapists. Updated Date: Is the risk more or less than 50 percent? Bersoff also suggested the following scenarios: When presented to his students or colleagues, Bersoff reported that he often received varied responses on how the Tarasoff law should be applied in these different situations. 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