Am J Psychiatry 1985; 142:213-216
Copyright © 1985 by American Psychiatric Association
Rogers v Commissioner: denouement of an important right-to-refuse- treatment case
TG Gutheil
After almost 9 years of passage through various courts, the right-to-
refuse-treatment case of Rogers v Commissioner of Mental Health has reached
its final resolution in Massachusetts. The author outlines the substantive
rulings of this decision in contemporary context, its importance for
clinicians in general, and its implications for practice. He proposes that
the case presents many problematic elements that could possibly impede good
clinical care.
