Patient’s Rights – Bipolar Advantage

The following list is optimal and is not always protected under the law. You should know how the laws protect you.

The right to treatment services which promote the potential of the person to function independently. Treatment should be provided in ways that are least restrictive of the personal liberty of the individual.
The right to dignity, privacy, and humane care.
The right to be free from harm, including unnecessary or excessive physical restraint, isolation, medication, abuse, or neglect. Medication may not be used as punishment, for the convenience of staff, as a substitute for, or in quantities that interfere with the treatment program.
The right to prompt medical care and treatment.
The right to religious freedom and practice.
The right to participate in appropriate programs of publicly supported education.
The right to social interaction.
The right to physical exercise and recreational opportunities.
The right to be free from hazardous procedures.

All patients also have the following treatment rights:

The right to give or withhold informed consent to medical and psychiatric treatment, including the right to refuse medications.
Except in emergency situations where danger to life is present; or by court order where the patient is found to lack the capacity to give or refuse informed consent via either a Capacity Hearing.
The right to refuse psychosurgery.
The right to refuse electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
The right to confidentiality.
The right to inspect and copy the medical record, unless specific criteria are met.
The right to have family/friends notified of certain treatment information with patient's permission.

Additional lifestyle accommodations include:

The right to an aftercare plan.
The right to wear one's own clothing.
The right to keep and use one's own personal possessions, including toilet articles, in a place accessible to the patient.
The right to keep and spend a reasonable sum of one's money for small purchases.
The right to have access to individual storage space for one's own use.
The right to see visitors each day.
The right to have reasonable access to phones both to make and receive confidential calls.
The right to have access to letter-writing materials, including stamps.
The right to mail and receive unopened letters and correspondence.