Ethical Considerations in Research on Methadone in the Treatment of Schizophrenia

Dr. Eth's Introduction: The subject of the ethical regulation of research involving human patients has been intensely controversial. The dual moral imperatives of protection of subjects and clinical progress, which seem so closely allied, often result in conflict. Our guest columnists, Drs. Hartman and Brizer, explore these issues in the context of a particular study now under way. Although the preliminary findings, as illustrated by their case example, are encouraging, the moral concern remains: How are the boundaries of research with psychiatric patients to be defined given the uncertainties of the risks and benefits and the limitations of voluntary informed consent?

Dr. Hartman is a psychiatrist at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center and assistant professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles. Dr. Brizer is a staff psychiatrist at Manhattan Psychiatric Center in New York City.