Citation

Lidz CW, Mulvey EP, Arnold RP, Bennett NS, Kirsch BL. Behav. Sci. Law 1993; 11(3): 269-280.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/bsl.2370110305

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper describes the prevalence of coercive and non-coercive efforts to influence patients' admission decisions in a psychiatric emergency room. The findings are based on previously collected transcripts of the interaction between patients and families and emergency room staff in 405 cases. Although a significant percentage of the patients were involuntarily admitted, otherwise the most prominent pressures were efforts by attending physicians to persuade patients about what would be the most appropriate disposition. However, a detailed qualitative analysis of the interaction suggest that the clinical staffs power to commit patients against their will affects the way all parties interpret the staffs 'persuasion' in such a way that it may be understood as quite coercive.

Language: en