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| | Psychiatry in Norway - Patients rights and ethical dilemmas | | 2005-8-29 13:31:20 County of Western Agder Kristian Hagestad, MD, DPH | In principle, psychiatric patients do have the same basic rights as all other patients, as described in the Act on patients rights. But there are some exceptions, described in the Act on mental health care.
Under certain circumstances compulsory mental health care may be given as treatment in hospital, pharmacological treatment, coercive means (e.g. belts), segregation, reduced contact with the outside world or treatment on out-patient basis.
Conditions for use of compulsory measures are that human dignity is respected, the favourable effects outweighs the disadvantages, voluntary health care is tried or pointless, the patient suffers from a serious mental disorder, there are prospects of benefits from treatment and/or serious risks to life and health of other peoples, treatment is given according to sound clinical practice, and commonly used medicines and doses are given.
The lecture present two cases to illustrate the topic, and some main ethical dilemmas are pointed out.
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Ministry of Health, (2003) No.013
ICP:No.040657