(A) Communications between patients and mental health professionals including general physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, nurses, social workers, or other staff members employed in a patient therapist capacity or employees under supervision of them are considered privileged. The patient may refuse to disclose and may prevent a witness from disclosing privileged information except as follows:

(1) communications between facility staff so long as the information is provided on a "need-to-know" basis;

(2) in involuntary commitment proceedings, when a patient is diagnosed by a qualified professional as in need of commitment to a mental health facility for care of the patient's mental illness;

(3) in an emergency where information about the patient is needed to prevent the patient from causing harm to himself or others;

(4) information related through the course of a court-ordered psychiatric examination if the information is admissible only on issues involving the patient's mental condition;

(5) in a civil proceeding in which the patient introduces his mental condition as an element of his claim or defense, or, after the patient's death, when the condition is introduced by a party claiming or defending through or as a beneficiary of the patient, and the court finds that it is more important to the interests of justice that the communication be disclosed than the relationship between the patient and psychiatrist be protected;

(6) when a competent patient gives consent or the guardian of a patient adjudicated as incompetent gives consent for disclosure;

(7) as otherwise authorized or permitted to be disclosed by statute.

(B) This does not preclude disclosure of information to the Governor's ombudsman office or to the South Carolina Protection and Advocacy System for the Handicapped, Inc.

HISTORY: 1991 Act No. 127, Section 1.