Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T18:30:15.555Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Enforcing treatment with clozapine: survey of views and practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Stephen Pereira ,
Dominic Beer  and
Carol Paton
Stephen Pereira*
Affiliation:
Oxleas NHS Trust, Arsenal Locality CMHC, 132 Powis Street, Woolwich SE18 6NL
Dominic Beer
Affiliation:
Oxleas NHS Trust, Arsenal Locality CMHC, 132 Powis Street, Woolwich SE18 6NL
Carol Paton
Affiliation:
Oxleas NHS Trust, Arsenal Locality CMHC, 132 Powis Street, Woolwich SE18 6NL
*
∗Correspondence
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Aim and method

The aim of the study was to survey strategies for dealing with patients who refuse clozapine blood tests or tablets. One hundred and twenty-five psychiatric intensive care unit consultants were sent a questionnaire.

Results

Thirty-nine (31%) questionnaires were returned. Opinions and practices were diverse ranging from uncertainty around the legal right to enforce venepuncture, to the practice of slipping clozapine into a patient's drink without their knowledge.

Clinical implications

There is need for an open debate of the relevant legal and ethical issues.

Type
Original papers
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 23 , Issue 6 , June 1999 , pp. 342 - 345
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

References

Ball, C. J. & Lipsedge, M. (1991) Use of clozapine (letter). Psychiatric Bulletin, 15, 645 646.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beer, M. D., Paton, C. & Pereira, S. (1997) Hot beds of general psychiatry: A national survey of psychiatric intensive care units. Psychiatric Bulletin, 21, 142 144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowen, T. (1992) Obtaining consent for treatment with clozapine (letter). Psychiatric Bulletin, 16, 239 240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, A. & Harris, T. (1996) Ethical issues in dementia. Psychiatric Bulletin, 20, 107 108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ciccone, R. J., Tokoli, J. T. & Gift, T. E. (1993) Medication refusal and judicial activism: A re-examination of the effects of the Rivers decision. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 32, 555 560.Google Scholar
Durand, C. J., Jaretz, N. J., Laddis, A., et al (1992) Clozapine refusal (letter). Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 43, 85.Google Scholar
Hoge, S. K., Applebaum, P. S., Lawler, T., et al (1990) A prospective multicentre study of patients' refusal of antipsychotic medication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 47, 949 956.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kane, J. M. (1992) Clinical efficacy of clozapine in treatment refractory schizophrenia: an overview. British Journal of Psychiatry, 160 (suppl. 17), 41 45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marder, S. R., Mebane, A., Chient, C., et al (1983) A comparison of patients who refuse and consent to neuroleptic treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 470 472.Google ScholarPubMed
McEvoy, T. P., Aland, T., Wilson, W., et al (1981) Measuring chronic schizophrenic patients' attitudes towards their illness and treatment. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 32, 856 858.Google Scholar
Meltzer, H. & Okayli, G. (1995) Reduction of suicidality during clozapine treatment of neuroleptic-resistant schizophrenia: impact on risk-benefit assessment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 183 190.Google ScholarPubMed
Mental Health Act Commission (1993) Guidance on the Administration of Clozapine and Other Treatments Requiring Blood Tests Under the Provisions of Part IV of the Mental Health Act Practice Note I. Nottingham: Mental Health Act Commission.Google Scholar
Morrison, D. P. (1996) Management of treatment refractory schizophrenia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 169 (suppl. 31), 15 20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Overall, J. E. & Gorham, D. R. (1962) The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Psychological Reports, 10, 799 812.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Special Hospitals Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia Research Group (1996) Schizophrenia, violence. clozapine and risperidone: a review. British Journal of Psychiatry, 160 (suppl. 31), 21 30.Google Scholar
Zito, J. M., Routt, W. W., Mitchell, J. E., et al (1985) Clinical characteristics of hospitalised psychotic patients who refuse antipsychotic drug therapy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 822 826.Google ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.