Ethical perspective of covert medication in psychiatry

Abstract

Schizophrenic patients deny health care due to lack of insight in many cases. In such situations most of the psychiatrists opt for covert medication in consultation with the families. Covert medication has legal and ethical implications. Moreover, it has certain clinical implications for the patient. In addition, how long the covert medication can be continued and when should it be revealed to the patient are questions that cannot be answered in black and white. This article is a commentary on a real scenario of covert medication in ethical perspective.

Keywords: Schizophrenia; Covert medication; Insight; Psychiatrists; Ethical.