The 1971 Amendment of the Illinois Statute on Confidentiality: A New Development in Privilege Law

After reviewing the history of privilege law in psychiatry, the author describes a new Illinois statute that modifies the "patient-litigant exception" so that both patient and psychiatrist have privilege in divorce cases even though "mental cruelty" is the ground for divorce unless either the patient or psychiatrist introduces testimony concerning communications between them. He also notes that a recent Illinois appellate court ruling protects confidentiality in personal injury cases when pain and suffering are claimed.