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human rights and legislation who resource book on mental health

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Example: Successful appeal of an admitted patient against involuntary treatment in<br />

Ontario, Canada<br />

In Ontario, Canada, Professor Stars<strong>on</strong> was admitted to hospital after he was found not<br />

criminally resp<strong>on</strong>sible for making death threats, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Review Board ordered his detenti<strong>on</strong><br />

for 12 m<strong>on</strong>ths. The attending physician proposed medical treatment for his bipolar c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>.<br />

Stars<strong>on</strong> refused to c<strong>on</strong>sent to the treatment <strong>on</strong> the basis that medicati<strong>on</strong> dulled his mind <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

diminished his creativity, but the attending physician found him not capable of deciding<br />

whether to accept or reject medical treatment. Stars<strong>on</strong> applied to the C<strong>on</strong>sent <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> Capacity<br />

Board to review the physician’s decisi<strong>on</strong>. The Board c<strong>on</strong>firmed the physician’s decisi<strong>on</strong>.<br />

However, the decisi<strong>on</strong> of the Board was subsequently overturned <strong>on</strong> judicial review by the<br />

Superior Court. This decisi<strong>on</strong> was in turn referred to the Court of Appeal, which upheld the<br />

lower court’s decisi<strong>on</strong>. The case went to the Supreme Court of Canada, the country’s highest<br />

court. In June 2003, the Supreme Court upheld the decisi<strong>on</strong> of the Ontario Court of Appeal.<br />

In terms of the Ontario Health Care C<strong>on</strong>sent Act (see Sec. 2.3) a pers<strong>on</strong> must be able to<br />

underst<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> the informati<strong>on</strong> that is relevant to making a treatment decisi<strong>on</strong>, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> must be able<br />

to appreciate the reas<strong>on</strong>ably foreseeable c<strong>on</strong>sequences of the decisi<strong>on</strong> or lack of <strong>on</strong>e.<br />

The Court found that the Board had misapplied the statutory test for capacity as well as being<br />

incorrect in its finding that Professor Stars<strong>on</strong> failed to appreciate the c<strong>on</strong>sequences of his<br />

decisi<strong>on</strong>.<br />

This case dem<strong>on</strong>strates the important principles that:<br />

• admissi<strong>on</strong> without a pers<strong>on</strong>’s c<strong>on</strong>sent does not necessarily imply that he/she is incapable of<br />

making treatment decisi<strong>on</strong>s;<br />

• tests determining capacity are open to interpretati<strong>on</strong>;<br />

• by allowing appeals to higher authorities, initial decisi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> treatment can be reversed;<br />

• the integrity <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> inviolability of a pers<strong>on</strong> is a critical <str<strong>on</strong>g>human</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>rights</str<strong>on</strong>g> principle.<br />

(Stars<strong>on</strong> v. Swayze, 2003, SCC 32)<br />

When periodically reviewing involuntary treatment, the independent authority must ensure that<br />

grounds for c<strong>on</strong>tinuing involuntary treatment persist. Where a time for allowing involuntary<br />

treatment has been stipulated <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> treatment bey<strong>on</strong>d this time is required, the process of<br />

sancti<strong>on</strong>ing treatment must be repeated. The mere refusal of treatment by a patient should not<br />

be c<strong>on</strong>sidered as adequate grounds for resancti<strong>on</strong>ing involuntary treatment.<br />

Involuntary treatment: Key issues<br />

• The criteria for involuntary treatment must be met before treatment is administered.<br />

• Procedure to be followed for involuntary treatment:<br />

a) The treatment plan should be proposed by an accredited <strong>mental</strong> <strong>health</strong> practiti<strong>on</strong>er<br />

having sufficient expertise <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> knowledge to undertake the proposed treatment.<br />

b) A sec<strong>on</strong>d independent accredited <strong>mental</strong> <strong>health</strong> practiti<strong>on</strong>er should be required to<br />

agree to the treatment plan.<br />

c) An independent authority (review body) should meet as so<strong>on</strong> as possible after<br />

involuntary treatment has been recommended to review the treatment plan. It should<br />

meet again at set intervals to assess the need for c<strong>on</strong>tinued involuntary treatment.<br />

d) Where the sancti<strong>on</strong> for involuntary treatment is for a limited period, c<strong>on</strong>tinued<br />

treatment can <strong>on</strong>ly be administered if the sancti<strong>on</strong>ing process is repeated.<br />

e) Involuntary treatment should be disc<strong>on</strong>tinued when patients are judged to have<br />

recovered their capacity to make treatment decisi<strong>on</strong>s, when there is no l<strong>on</strong>ger a need<br />

for treatment or when the sancti<strong>on</strong>ed time has elapsed – whichever happens earliest.<br />

f) Patients <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> their families <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>/or pers<strong>on</strong>al representatives should be immediately<br />

informed of involuntary treatment decisi<strong>on</strong>s being made <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>, as far as is feasible,<br />

they should be involved in developing the treatment plan.<br />

g) Once involuntary treatment is sancti<strong>on</strong>ed, patients, families <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> pers<strong>on</strong>al<br />

representatives must be informed of their <str<strong>on</strong>g>rights</str<strong>on</strong>g> to appeal to a review body, tribunal<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>/or court against the involuntary treatment decisi<strong>on</strong>.<br />

55

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