title: Lasting rights and last rites: a case report.
abstract: The contrast between legal and clinical perceptions of reality, characterized as discrete versus continuous in nature, generates dilemmas for both professions. Individuals in conflict with either system are especially vulnerable to the philosophical serrations at the interface between psychiatry and the law. A case example, which serves to magnify the gripping impact of these diverse and powerful institutions, raises various issues for examination and discussion.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000628:therapy; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D004645:Empathy; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D028701:Patient Rights; D012935:Social Justice