I think that as far as the court is concerned, the bottom line ends up being the public good.
Soma - got a laugh out of that one in a psychpharmacology course I took. Unfortunately it was not about the really cool drugs, just the boring ones, psychoactives, tranquilizers etc. larry At 06:48 PM 6/6/2003 +0000, Dana Tierney wrote: >well the troubling thing is that if they HAD ruled that he was better off >then where would you draw the line? Most people would be happier if you >made them take Valium. There would certainly be less political >dissension... you see where I am going with this. Speaking of which, i just >noticed the other day that there now really is a drug called soma. > >Larry C. Lyons writes: > > > At 06:07 PM 6/6/2003 +0000, Dana Tierney wrote: > > >http://cbc.ca/stories/2003/06/06/starson030606 > > > > I got the article again. Here the text of it: > > > > Mentally ill man may refuse treatment, court rules > > Last Updated Fri, 06 Jun 2003 13:21:08 > > OTTAWA - In a case reminiscent of the Hollywood movie A Beautiful Mind, > the > > Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a mentally ill physics genius has > > the right to refuse treatment for his condition. > > > > In its ruling Friday, the court said that 47-year-old Scott Starson does > > not have to take the medication that doctors want to give him. > > > > But the decision does not necessarily affect treatment of other mentally > > ill people. > > > > With no formal training, Starson has written for academic journals on > > topics such as anti-gravity, the theory of relativity and time measurement. > > > > But he suffers from a condition combining the symptoms of schizophrenia > and > > manic depression, which causes erratic and sometimes threatening behaviour. > > > > Five years ago, he was admitted to the Centre for Addiction and Mental > > Health in Toronto after a court found him not criminally responsible on > two > > charges of uttering death threats. > > > > Refused treatment > > > > His psychiatrist, Dr. Paul Posner, proposed treating Starson with > > anti-psychotic drugs and physical restraints, but Starson has refused > > medication, saying it slowed down his thought processes. > > > > A medical review board ruled that Starson was not capable of making a > > decision about his medication, but that decision was overturned by the > > Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 1999. > > > > The case then went to the Supreme Court of Canada. > > > > In its ruling Friday, the court said there were errors in the way the case > > was handled. > > > > Starson is currently in a psychiatric hospital in Ottawa with no prospect > > of being released. > > > > His mother, Jeanne Stevens, told CBC NewsWorld on Friday that the decision > > effectively ruins her son's life. > > > > She says medication would have taken away his erratic behaviour and > allowed > > him to work again and live in the community. > > > > "I'm devastated and I truthfully believe that the Supreme Court did not > > have sufficient information," she said. "It's the end of his life." > > > > The case has parallels with A Beautiful Mind, in which Russell Crowe plays > > John Forbes Nash, a mathematics genius who suffers from schizophrenia. > > > > In 1994, Nash won the Nobel Prize in Economic Science for his earlier work > > on game theory. > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
