[A few reflective remarks on the notion of consent]

Medical paternalism has given way to the autonomy of the patient, who remains master of the decisions he makes concerning his health. His consent, free and informed, has no value unless it is preceded by information adapted to his degree of understanding. The notion of consent raises the question of freedom, and therefore of the autonomy left to patients in their choices. Individual freedom occupies a particular place in psychiatry where it comes into confrontation with constraint. The tensions generated must lead caregivers to ask themselves the right questions in accordance with the principles of medical ethics.