Nau et al. describe a woman with schizophrenia who remains in denial of her pregnancy. They raise several legal issues including involuntary commitment, capacity to decide treatment, and conservancy. They review potentially pertinent legal decisions that might inform treatment decisions of women who refuse care during pregnancy. They then conclude that no clear precedents are available that clearly inform the treatment decisions in this particular case: hard cases make bad law (and vice versa).

more »

... Reconsidering the case from a purely clinical perspective, there may have been some lost opportunities to find common ground or make a compromise with the patient, thus avoiding court altogether. Reconsidering the diagnosis raises questions about the use of antipsychotic medication during this pregnancy.