The Case About Bob Henry
You are a member of a unique, newly created team of public health professionals, clinicians, and attorneys. You work at a number of local hospitals and university clinics and have been told that your work is being monitored with expectations that it will provide a model for all hospitals in the state. Today, you have been consulted and asked to assist medical and psychiatry teams in responding to the case of a patient named Bob Henry, just admitted to an inpatient Clinic at the University (hereinafter “U. Clinic”) with signs of psychosis. You understand that your team’s responses to this case may serve as a prototype to be followed in other, similar cases that arise in the future.
The patient, Bob Henry, is 19 years old and a student at the local university. Bob was diagnosed with a serious mental illness last year but seemed to be doing well. He had once been admitted to a state mental health facility through a hospital emergency department. He remained there for a few days. Today he presented at U. Clinic with a variety of physical symptoms, including fatigue and difficulty breathing.
Bob was admitted to U. Clinic. He initially agreed with the medical group’s recommendation that tests were needed to diagnose his medical problem. Bob soon changed his mind and argued vehemently against further testing or care of any sort. He asserted that “the system” wanted “to take everything away” from him. He demanded that he be discharged immediately. He also seemed to become increasingly delusional.
Psychiatrists who examined Bob stated that he appeared to lack insight. You have just met with Bob for over an hour. He told you that he has a roommate at the University (Jack), but that they do not get along. He also begged you not to contact his parents, saying that they never liked him and never came through for him.
Describe possible responses (short-term and long-term) to Bob’s situation (by the University generally, the U. Clinic, and/or the state) that are more likely to be helpful than harmful for Bob and for other people such as Bob. Again, remember that your answer will be used as a model for responding to other people in situations similar to that of Bob. Also, in answering consider the constitutional parameters discussed by the Court in Donaldson and the issues discussed by Professor Saks (in the assigned reading for this session)
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