Eleanor Riese (September 4, 1943 - April 6, 1991) was an American patient who sued a hospital for her right to refuse antipsychotic medication. The court decision significantly changed the approach to psychiatric patients.
Biography
Riese was diagnosed with
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...
when she was 25 years old.
Lawsuit
In 1985, Riese led a class-action lawsuit against the St. Mary's Hospital in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. Her lawyers argued that during her stay there Riese developed symptoms caused by antipsychotic medication she did not consent to.
The lawsuit was highly remarkable for its time, and it quickly went national, attracting the attention of advocacy groups and organizations such as the
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 39,200 members who are in ...
and the
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...
. Finally, in 1987,
California Court of Appeals
The California Courts of Appeal are the State court (United States), state Appellate court, intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided along List of counties in California, county lines in ...
in a unanimous ruling about ''Riese v. St. Mary’s Hospital and Medical Center'' suit decided that antipsychotic medications "may not be prescribed to involuntarily committed mental patients in non-emergency situations without their
informed consent
Informed consent is an applied ethics principle that a person must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about accepting risk. Pertinent information may include risks and benefits of treatments, alternative treatme ...
".
In culture
Riese's life was depicted in the 2017 film ''
55 Steps'' by
Bille August
Bille August (; born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television.
August's 1987 film ''Pelle the Conqueror'' won the , Academy Awards, Academy Award and Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Awar ...
.
See also
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Frances Farmer
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Nellie Bly
Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist who was widely known for her record-breaking circumnavigation, trip around the world ...
*
Lanterman–Petris–Short Act
The Lanterman–Petris–Short (LPS) ActChapter 1667of the 1967 California Statutes, codified aCal. Welf & Inst. Code sec. 5000 et seq.) regulates involuntary civil commitment to a mental health institution in the state of California. The act set ...
*
Involuntary treatment
Involuntary treatment or mandatory treatment refers to medical treatment undertaken without the consent of the person being treated. Involuntary treatment is permitted by law in some countries when overseen by the judiciary through court orders; ...
*
Patient abuse
Patient abuse or patient neglect is any action or failure to act which causes unreasonable suffering, misery or harm to the patient. Elder abuse is classified as patient abuse of those older than 60 and forms a large proportion of patient abuse.
...
*
Controversies about psychiatry Psychiatry is, and has historically been, viewed as controversial by those under its care, as well as sociologists and psychiatrists themselves. There are a variety of reasons cited for this controversy, including the subjectivity of diagnosis, the ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riese, Eleanor
Mental health law
People with schizophrenia
1949 births
1999 deaths