Treatment refusal among forensic inpatients.
Although the United States Supreme Court has not offered a definite opinion, some states have established the qualified right of involuntarily committed patients to refuse treatment. Controversy continues between psychiatry and law over what procedural protections should be provided to patients when therapists seek to override nonemergency refusal of treatment. The authors review Oregon's administrative approach and its application to the treatment refusal of 33 state hospital forensic patients. Patient characteristics, refusal patterns, and implications of treatment refusal are also described.
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland.
J T
JT
Young
J D
JD
Bloom
L R
LR
Faulkner
J L
JL
Rogers
P K
PK
Pati
D000328:Adult; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D008297:Male; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology