[Ethical aspects of the treatment of mentally and physically seriously ill patients--a case report of an elderly female schizophrenic patient with jaundice].
The treatment of elderly patients with combined psychiatric and physical illness often implicates special challenges for physicians. A psychiatric disorder may significantly complicate diagnostic and therapeutic measures for somatic diseases. The realisation of planned procedures may be delayed or even become impossible in non-compliant subjects. Respect of the patient's will conflicts with the assessment of his/her judgement and protection of his/her supposed interests. Such considerations need an abstraction of the destructive, illness-bound will of these patients in the light of ethical and medical options. The increasing responsibility of physicians in such cases is limited by an often controversial legal frame. We present such practice-relevant problems which we encountered in the treatment of an 83-year-old woman with cholestatic jaundice of clinically unknown origin and chronic schizophrenia.
Kämpf
M
M
Universitäre Psychiatrische Dienste Bern.
Strnad
J
J
Bahro
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007565:Jaundice / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*