Abstract

Sir: In their article, ‘Competency sues in referrals to a consultation-liai‘to understandis27:treatment offered to him, the consulting psychiatrist must discuss with the patient at some length both the illness and the proposed quently, discussion now that a patient by someone treatment. will saying, respondcognitively not state ture lowed forms surgery patients’ uation, expressed tureimpaired that whereabouts situations‘ ‘they could or the nabut were al-of theirNot infreto this you; to in the time ‘Thankto sign informed consent” and underwent various types ofservice’(PsychosomaticsWhen need mostquestioned of the treating aboutthese eval-782-789), Drs. Myers and make a number of interestingBarrett and im-for a competencyhas takenresidents the true na-portant observations, to which I would like to add two related points. First, it is noteworthy that of the 21 cases in which competency evaluations were requested, all but one involved a patient’s refusal of hospitalization or treatment. If the medical staff were simply whether a patient make expect treatment that a situation to treatment to generate concerned about is competent to one in which would a request Since would a pabe toto explain it to me, I’ll be happy agree.” A psychiatrist asked to intervene a situation fused will functions in which inevitably simultaneously: