Abstract
The ethical issues involved in the practices of committing and treating persons diagnosed as mentally ill against their wills are extraordinarily complex, and strike at the very center of Kantian conceptions of personhood.1 This article seeks to lay out these issues systematically, report on current scientific understanding of, legal precedents for, and the state of philosophical assessment of these practices, and to indicate the directions in which additional philosophical work needs to be done. Much of what I say will apply, with little alteration, to the ethical issues involved in our practices regarding retarded and multiply-handicapped individuals.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes and References
G. Murphy, “Incompetence and Paternalism,” Archiv für Rechts und Sozialphilosophie 60 (1974), pp. 465–486.
T. S. Szasz, “Involuntary Commitment: a Form of Slavery,” The Humanist 31:4 (July/August, 1971), pp. 11–14; Law, Liberty and Psychiatry (New York: Macmillan Co., 1963); The Myth of Mental Illness (New York: Harper and Row, 1961).
Chodoff, “The Case for Involuntary Hospitalization of the Mentally Ill,” American Journal of Psychiatry 133:5 (May. 1976). pp. 496–501.
T. Hull, “On Getting ‘Genetic’ Out of ‘Genetic Disease’,” in J. W. Davis, B. Hoffmaster, and S. Shorten (eds.), Contemporary Issues in Biomedical Ethics (Clifton, NJ: Humana, 1978), pp. 71–87; “On Taking Causal Criteria to Be Ontologically Significant,” Behaviorism 1:2 (Summer, 1973), pp. 65–76.
N. Walker, “Dangerous People,” International Journal of Law and Psychiatry1 (1978), pp. 37–50.
T. Beauchamp and J. Childress, Principles of Biomedical Ethics (New York: Oxford, 1980).
Wyatt v. Aderholt (503 F 2d 1305), (1974); Wyatt v. Stickney (344 F Supp 373), (1972).
A. Peszke, “Duty to the Patient or Society: Reflections on the Psychi-atrist’s Dilemma,” in S. F. Spicker, J. M. Healey, Jr., and H. T. Engelhardt, Jr. (eds.), The Law-Medicine Relation: a Philosophical Exploration (Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1981), pp. 177–186; M. A. Peszke, G. G. Affleck, and R. M. Wintrob, “Perceived Statutory Applicability Versus Clinical Desirability of Emergency Involuntary Hospitalization,” American Journal of Psychiatry 137:4 (April, 1980), pp. 476–480.
Rouse v. Cameron (373 F 2d 451), (DC Cir 1966).
J. Katz, “The Right to Treatment―an Enchanting Legal Fiction?” University of Chicago Law Review 36 (1969) pp. 755–783.
J. M. Humber, “The Involuntary Commitment and Treatment of Mentally Ill Persons,” Social Science and Medicine 15F:4 (December, 1981), pp. 143–150.
S. M. Goodman, “Right to Treatment: the Responsibility of the Courts,” Georgetown Law Journal 57 (1969), pp. 680–701.
L. Rosenhan, “On Being Sane in Insane Places,” Science 179 (January 19, 1973), pp. 250–258.
A. Prins, “Dangerous People or DangerOus Situations? Some Implications for Assessment and Management,”Medical Science Law 21:2 (1981), pp. 125–133.
E. Dix, ““Civil” Commitment of the Mentally Ill and the Need for Data on the Prediction of Dangerousness,” American Behavioral Scientist 19:3 (January/February, 1976), pp. 318–344.
Mitchell. Act of Love (New York: Knopf. 1976).
17O’Connor v. Donaldson (422 US 563), (1975).
X. Freedman, Biology of the Major Psychoses: a Comparative Analysis (New York: Raven Press, 1975).
Usdin, D. A. Hamburg, and J. D. Barchas (eds.), Neuro-regulators and Psychiatric Disorders (New York: Oxford, 1977).
0Rogers v. Orkin (478 F Supp 1342), (USDC Mass, 1979).
Editors, “The Supreme Court Sidesteps the Right to Treatment Question: O’Connor v. Donaldson,” University of Colorado Law Review 47 (1976), pp. 299–323.
J. Annas, “Law and the Life Sciences: O’Connor v. Donaldson, Insanity Inside Out,” Hastings Center Report 6:4 (August, 1976), pp. 11–13.
Creighton, “Rights of Mental Patients,” Supervisor Nurse 12:5 (May, 1981), pp. 16–17.
Wear, “Mental Illness and Moral Status,” Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 5 (1980), pp. 292–312; “The Diminished Moral Status of the Mentally Ill,” in B. A. Brody and H. T. Engelhardt, Jr. (eds.), Mental Illness• Law and Public Policy (Dorrecht Reidel, 1980, n 221–230.
L. H. Roth, A. Meisel, and C. W. Lidz, “Tests of Competency to Consent to Treatment,” American Journal of Psychiatry, 134:3 (March, 1977), pp. 279–284.
J. G. Murphy, “Incompetence and Paternalism,” Archivfür Rechts und Socialphilosophie 60 (1974), pp. 465–486.
J. W. Cook, K. Altman, and S. Haavik, “Consent for Aversive Treatment: a Model Form,” Mental Retardation (February, 1978), pp. 47–51.
J. Annas, “Quinlan, Sakowicz and Now Brother Fox,” Hastings Center Report, 10:3 (June, 1980), pp. 20–21.
M. Siegler, ”Critical Illness: the Limits of Autonomy,” Hastings Center Report 7:5 (1977) pp. 12–15.
M. Birnbaum, “The Right to Treatment,” American Bar Association Journal 46 (May, 1960), pp. 499–505.
D. L. Bazelon, “Implementing the Right to Treatment,” University of Chicago Law Review 36 (1969), pp. 724–754.
D. B. Wexler, “Mental Health Law and the Movement Toward Voluntary Treatment,” California Law Review 62:3 (May, 1974) pp. 671–692.
J Katz and J. Goldstein, “Abolish the Insanity Defense-Why Not?” Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 138:57 (1964), pp. 65ff.
J Feinberg, “Legal Paternalism,” Canadian Journal of Philosophy (1971), pp. 105–124.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1983 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hull, R.T. (1983). Involuntary Commitment and Treatment of Persons Diagnosed as Mentally Ill. In: Humber, J.M., Almeder, R.F. (eds) Biomedical Ethics Reviews · 1983. Biomedical Ethics Reviews. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-439-9_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-439-9_7
Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-4632-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-439-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive