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Personality disorder and competence to refuse treatment
1Otago District Health Board, Dunedin, New Zealand. liz.winburn@otagodhb.govt.nz
Abstract:
The traditional view that having a personality disorder, unlike other mental disorders, is not usually reason enough to consider a person incompetent to make healthcare decisions is challenged. The example of a case in which a woman was treated for a physical disorder without her consent illustrates that personality disorder can render a person incompetent to refuse essential treatment, particularly because it can affect the doctor-patient relationship within which consent is given.
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