A young homosexual man hospitalized with pneumonia linked to a diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has refused treatment and is supported in his decision by his family and his lover. A psychiatric consultant has found the patient competent though depressed, and is torn between her resposibilities to respect his decision and to promote his best interests. Two psychiatrists support imposed intervention because shock has rendered the patient temporarily incapable of informed refusal. Levinson, executive director of Concern for Dying, and Callen, an AIDS patient, support the right to choose death but believe further efforts should be made to explore the reasons for the decision and to inform the patient about available support groups.
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Vinogradov et al. (1984) studied this question.