American Journal of Psychiatry · 1980 · 46 citations · 0 references
LawHealth LawPsychiatryForensic PsychiatryMental Health LawPatient RightsForensic Psychiatry LawInvoluntary HospitalizationInvoluntary TreatmentMental Health Patient RightsPsychiatric EthicsRight To Refuse TreatmentGuardianship AlternativesGuardianship DecisionsGuardianship In Treatment DecisionsGuardianship TheoryInvoluntary Treatment RightsPatient Rights During DetentionPsychiatric Treatment RefusalRefusal Of Medical Treatment
The use of legal guardianship appears to offer a ready resolution to the complex forensic issue of involuntary medication for psychiatric inpatients. The authors, with the aid of clinical examples, show that the gap between theory and practice may render this solution illusory and illustrate the profound complications for treatment introduced by the guardianship process itself. After examining the complexities of this problem, they consider alternative methods for preserving the patient's rights both to receive and to refuse medication.