Informed consent in voluntary mental hospital admissions
Abstract
The authors studied the amount of understanding that 100 mental hospital patients had a voluntary admission application they signed upon entering the hospital. Only 8 patients were rated as being completely informed of terms of the contract at the time of admission; 15 of 33 patients reinterviewed about 10 days after admission showed increased understanding. Minimal differences were found between 81 state hospital patients and 19 private hospital patients. The finding that few voluntary patients are fully informed to give consent to hospitalization poses a dilemma because of the trend to give personal responsibility to the patient.
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.- Personal login
- Institutional Login
- Sign in via OpenAthens
- Register for access
-
Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).