FAQ: Suicidal Patient and Privacy Issues

Posted On: April 9, 2025

In Ontario, naturopathic doctors (NDs), are entrusted with safeguarding patient privacy and personal health information. While patient consent is required for the collection, use, and disclosure of this information, there are critical situations where disclosure without consent is permitted. One such scenario arises when a patient expresses suicidal thoughts or poses a risk of serious harm to themselves or others, here is what you’ll need to know.

I have a patient who has had suicidal thoughts, and I am concerned about them following through with it. Do I need their permission to contact their family about this? 

The courts have set out circumstances where concern for public safety may warrant the disclosure of information obtained by a health care provider to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm. The factors for consideration are as follows:

• there is a clear risk to an identifiable person or a group of persons,
• there is a risk of serious bodily harm or death, and
• the danger is imminent.

If you have reasonable grounds to believe there is a risk of harm for your patient, you may disclose information to their family member or family doctor without the patient’s consent.  There are no restrictions on the types of people this information can be disclosed to – use your best judgement to determine who would be the most appropriate person to contact.

For more information see the article Privacy Issues When a Patient is Suicidal in the Regulatory Guidance section of the website.

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