Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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One of the main reasons for contact of psychiatric patients with Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments is deliberate self-harm. The situation is often complicated by the patient's ambivalence about treatment. Kerrie Wooltorton was one such patient who presented to an A&E department after having self-harmed by taking a fatal dose of antifreeze. ⋯ Alternatively, any decision to follow the Advance Decision has to be objectively supported by evidence. The Mental Capacity Act itself allows for overriding the patient's wishes if certain criteria under the Mental Health Act are met. This route was not explored in the Wooltorton case and this is the main lesson to learn.