Question 1

The case of Wyatt v. Stickney not only mandated that mental patients have a right to receive treatment, but also ruled that mental patients ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The case of Wyatt v. Stickney not...

Question 2

Which case affirmed the right of the mentally ill to receive appropriate treatment and also asserted that physicians and institutions are liable for improper confinements?

Accepted Answer

O'Connor v. Donaldson is the only case among the given options that deals with the right of the mentally ill to receive appropriate treatment and the liability of physicians and institutions for improper confinements.

Question 3

Marta has been diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia and resides in a psychiatric hospital. When Marta takes her medication, her catatonic symptoms decrease significantly. However, Marta recently has started to refuse her medication, stating that she does not like the side effects. What should staff do?

Accepted Answer

Marta has the right to refuse treatment, and unless she poses a danger to herself or others, she cannot be forced to take medication against her will.

Question 4

Since deinstitutionalization began, huge numbers of former mental patients have been discharged from psychiatric facilities. It appears that many of them ____.

Accepted Answer

Many former mental patients discharged due to deinstitutionalization lack adequate support and resources, leading to homelessness and severe disability.

Question 5

The Addington v. Texas (1979) ruling declared that ____.

Accepted Answer

The Addington v. Texas (1979) ruling established that the state must provide "clear and convincing evidence" before committing people to a mental institution. This standard of proof is higher than the usual civil standard of "preponderance of evidence."

Question 6

Judge Franklin says, "This patient is fully able to care for herself. I recognize her need for psychological care but have decided that she should be placed in a halfway house rather than a state mental hospital." The judge's decision illustrates the principle of ____.

Accepted Answer

The judge's decision to place the patient in a halfway house rather than a state mental hospital shows that he is following the principle of least restrictive form of treatment. This means that the patient's autonomy and freedom are respected as much as possible while still ensuring that she receives appropriate care.

Question 7

May criminal defendants be forced to take medication that will make them competent to stand trial if doing so will likely result in their execution?

Accepted Answer

Sell v. United States established strict criteria for involuntarily medicating defendants to ensure they are competent for trial, balancing state interests and individual rights.

Question 8

Addington v. Texas was a Supreme Court ruling on civil commitment. It changed the standard of proof such that ____.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court in Addington v. Texas ruled that the standard of proof for civil commitment should be "clear and convincing evidence," which is a lower standard than "beyond a reasonable doubt" used in criminal cases.

Question 9

Since its inception in the 1960s, the impact of deinstitutionalization has been to ____.

Accepted Answer

Deinstitutionalization led to a significant reduction in the number of people in mental health institutions, as patients were moved to community-based settings.

Question 10

The policy that began in the 1960s and resulted in people with mental disorders being moved out of large state mental hospitals and back into their local communities is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Deinstitutionalization is the policy that started in the 1960s, aimed at moving individuals with mental disorders from large state mental hospitals to community-based settings.

Question 11

An attorney is arguing before a judge that his client, involuntarily committed to a mental institution, is being forced to take medication and that medication is used only as a means of controlling patients, not treating them. He wants his client to be allowed to refuse medication. Which legal decision should the attorney use to support his position?

Accepted Answer

Rennie v. Klein established that patients involuntarily committed to a mental institution have a right to refuse treatment unless it is deemed in an emergency situation that the treatment is necessary to prevent the patient from harming themselves or others.

Question 12

What was a major impetus for the support of deinstitutionalization?

Accepted Answer

Deinstitutionalization was largely supported by the belief that mental hospitals were often ineffective and served more as warehouses than as places of treatment, prompting a shift towards community-based care.

Question 13

The legal system uses three standards of proof: beyond a reasonable doubt, clear and convincing evidence, and preponderance of evidence. For mental health purposes, the burden of proof standard is ____.

Accepted Answer

Clear and convincing evidence is the standard often used in mental health contexts, especially in cases involving the involuntary commitment of individuals for mental health treatment. This standard is higher than the preponderance of the evidence but lower than beyond a reasonable doubt.

Question 14

Besides being famous for murdering many people, what else do Jeffrey Dahmer, Seung Hui Cho, Eric Harris, and Dylan Klebold have in common?

Accepted Answer

While it is true that all of these individuals have committed heinous acts which have led to their notoriety, what sets them apart more significantly is that their aberrant behavior and thought process went unnoticed or were ignored by those around them. This is particularly noteworthy in the case of Dahmer, who was known to have exhibited troubling behavior even in his youth, but who was never correctly diagnosed or given help for his tendencies towards violence and cruelty.

Question 15

An attorney says, "Patients who have been involuntarily confined for treatment have a constitutional right that is supported by cases such as Rouse v. Cameron and Wyatt v. Stickney." What right is the attorney talking about?

Accepted Answer

The attorney is referring to the right to treatment, which is supported by cases like Rouse v. Cameron and Wyatt v. Stickney. These cases established that individuals who are involuntarily committed have a constitutional right to receive treatment for their conditions.

Question 16

Max was committed to a psychiatric hospital six months ago as a result of his aggressive, combative, and physically threatening behavior. At the time of his hospitalization, his family and friends were afraid he was going to hurt someone. At the present time, however, Max is not demonstrating any physically threatening behavior. In addition, he has some minimal self-help skills and is believed to be able to function by himself with minimal supervision. What do the legal rights of mental patients suggest should be done with Max?

Accepted Answer

The legal rights of mental patients suggest that Max should be moved to a group home or halfway house based on the right to the least restrictive alternative. Since Max is not demonstrating any physically threatening behavior and has minimal self-help skills, keeping him in a psychiatric hospital would be an unnecessarily restrictive alternative. Moving him to a group home or halfway house would give him more independence and autonomy while still providing him with the necessary support and supervision.

Question 17

An attorney says this to a judge in a civil commitment case: "Your honor, the Supreme Court in 1979 ruled that we cannot deny people their liberty by committing them to mental institutions involuntarily unless we have 'clear and convincing evidence' that they are mentally ill and potentially dangerous." To what Supreme Court ruling is the attorney referring?

Accepted Answer

The attorney is referring to the landmark case of Addington v. Texas, in which the Supreme Court ruled that involuntary civil commitment requires "clear and convincing evidence" that the individual is mentally ill and dangerous.

Question 18

Suppose a mental patient's family sues a state hospital for failing to provide minimal treatment. What court decision would the family's lawyer probably cite?

Accepted Answer

Wyatt v. Stickney (1972) was a landmark case that established minimum standards for the treatment of mentally ill individuals in state hospitals. The court ruled that patients were entitled to "minimally adequate" treatment, meaning that the hospital was required to provide "humane psychological and physical conditions of confinement" and "individualized treatment plans." This ruling would likely be cited by the family's lawyer in order to argue that the state hospital failed to provide the minimal treatment required by law.

Question 19

The best example of a form of therapy that would be considered in violation of the least intrusive treatment principle is ____.

Accepted Answer

Electroconvulsive therapy is considered a last resort treatment option due to its intrusive nature. It involves the use of electric currents to induce seizures in the brain and has significant risks and side effects including memory loss and cognitive impairment. Therefore, it is a violation of the least intrusive treatment principle.

Question 20

Much of the problem with deinstitutionalization appears to be the ____.

Accepted Answer

Deinstitutionalization often fails due to insufficient community resources to support discharged patients, leading to inadequate care and support in the community.

Quiz 16: Law and Ethics in Abnormal Psychology