Mental illness and the right to refuse lifesaving medical treatment.

Abstract

The legal and ethical debate surrounding the right of mentally ill patients to refuse life saving medical treatment is one area in the spectrum of patient rights that the medical community has failed to fully explore. To better investigate this concept, it is important to first focus on the history of the right to refuse treatment for all patients. Case studies then explore arguments on both sides of the issue, and focus discussion on the inadequacies of the current standards, a need for further study and universal testing principles in order to provide all patients with the rights they deserve.