Effect of the Rennie decision on private hospitalization in New Jersey: two case reports

The Rennie decision in New Jersey on the right to refuse treatment has been extended from public mental health programs to private psychiatric hospitals where conditions are very different from those which engendered the decision. This ripple effect may result in therapeutic delay, increased cost, possible general medical neglect, family turmoil, and misuse or loss of insurance benefits. The two cases described by the author resulted in expenditures of more than $30,000 by the patients and their insurers. The author criticizes the policy of using independent psychiatrists to review treatment in private hospitals. He believes that if the right to refuse treatment is maintained, prompt judicial review without prior restraining orders should be public policy.