Does a patient have to agree with the diagnosis of a mental disorder?
Ontario, Canada
The following excerpt is from Gradek v. Shafro, 2013 ONSC 1464 (CanLII):
Starson v. Swayze held that a person for whom treatment of a mental disorder is proposed need not agree with the diagnosis but must be able to acknowledge the symptoms: As a result, a patient is not required to describe his mental condition as an “illness”, or otherwise characterize the condition in negative terms. Nor is a patient required to agree with the attending physician’s opinion regarding the cause of that condition. Nonetheless, if the patient’s condition results in him being unable to recognize that he is affected by its manifestations, he will be unable to appreciate the consequences of his decision. [Starson v. Swayze, supra, at para. 79]
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