Legal and Ethical Aspects of Behavior Control

There is a new climate of concern over the power of psychiatrists to shape behavior—a question made more critical by the increasing effectiveness of psychiatric treatment, including the use of drugs and the new behavior therapy techniques. The author focuses his discussion on the need for truly informed consent and the safeguards (including the use of a monitoring agency) that should be applied in those instances where the patient does not consent to the treatment but where the three criteria of dangerousness, treatability, and incompetence are obviously present. If psychiatrists are to respond to the new pressures, they must develop a system of internal regulation that will satisfy not only their own needs but the needs of patients and the general public.