A Model Consent Form for Psychiatric Drug Treatment

Abstract

Given the notorious lack of informed consent in the practice of psychiatry and a tendency to use typical consent forms to protect professionals rather than inform or empower patients, the authors propose a “model consent form” for psychiatric drug treatment. This form seeks to highlight the dubious nature of medical knowledge about psychological problems diagnosed and treated, to describe regulatory processes that result in truncated knowledge about prescribed drugs, and to present realistic and understandable information about somatic and psychological effects of drug use and drug withdrawal.