Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
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Acta Psychiatr Scand · Feb 2012
ReviewA systematic review of the literature about competence and poor insight.
Formally, incompetence implies that a patient cannot meet the legal requirements for informed consent. Our aim was to review the scientific literature on the relationship between competence and insight in patients with psychiatric disorders, how competence and insight are connected in these patients and whether there are differences in competence and insight among patients with different disorders. ⋯ Most incompetent psychotic patients have poor insight, but non-psychotic patients with adequate insight were incompetent in a substantial number of cases. In sum: non-psychotic patients with adequate insight can be incompetent.