title: Informed consent: the patient's right to decide.
abstract: 1. The locus of mental health treatment has moved from the psychiatric hospital to the community; clients have become part of the general population as they move in and out of the mental health system. In response to this, health care providers and policymakers are trying to strike a balance between the provision of care and the restriction of patient rights while considering individual and societal interests. 2. Throughout the past three decades, the legal consensus of thought on informed consent has emphasized the rights of the patient, rather than emphasizing the medical profession's expertise. 3. Informed consent remains a controversial issue. An openness to modification must be maintained while acknowledging the actual meaning of informed consent. Informed consent is not a process by which one forces a person to do what is mandated, but an organized manner of providing information that will allow a reasoned decision to be made.
authors.affiliation: Harvard University.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Trudeau
mesh_terms: D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D009820:Ohio; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs