Treatment FAQ

when a young patient says no to treatment

by Wyatt Boehm Sr. Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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It could be depression, anxiety, trauma, ODD, DMDD, ADHD, prodromal psychosis, addiction, substance use, or any other mental health issue. The problem is, your teen does not want to go to treatment. Your teen could have a number of reasons why they don’t want to get mental health treatment.

Full Answer

What if my teen doesn’t think therapy will help?

If your teen does realize they might have a mental health or substance abuse problem but doesn’t think therapy will help, which is often the case for teens with depression, there are a few ways you can approach this. First, you can ask them how they know it won’t help if they’ve never tried it.

Do you have the right to refuse medical treatment?

Courts have upheld the right of patients to choose their own medical treatment, even when their decisions may lead to health impairment or death. The right to refuse medical treatment can only be overridden when a patient is deemed by a court to be lacking in decisional capacity.

Why are some parents reluctant to discuss medical conditions with their children?

However, cultural norms or family values may underlie some parents’ reluctance to discuss the child or adolescent’s condition, diagnosis or prognosis in his or her presence. While parents’ views regarding disclosure are important, the child or adolescent’s desire or need for information should remain paramount.

Is your teen being resistant to residential treatment?

If your teen is being resistant to residential treatment, outpatient therapy, or even an IOP/PHP program, it’s important to know how to address their concerns or excuses about not wanting to seek treatment. Your teen could have a number of reasons for being anti-therapy. Here’s how to respond to each of them: 1.

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What is it called when a patient refuses treatment?

Informed refusal is where a person has refused a recommended medical treatment based upon an understanding of the facts and implications of not following the treatment. Informed refusal is linked to the informed consent process, as a patient has a right to consent, but also may choose to refuse.

Why would a patient refuse treatment?

Explore Reasons Behind Refusal Patients may refuse treatments for many reasons, including financial concerns, fear, misinformation, and personal values and beliefs. Exploring these reasons with the patient may reveal a solution or a different approach.

What are the rules for refusing to treat the patient?

As a rule of thumb, if unnecessary delays in care may cause irreparable harm, physicians can face legal liability for their refusal to treat. If you need urgent medical attention, and a doctor refuses to treat you, you can pursue a medical malpractice suit against the physician and/or the establishment they work for.

Does an adolescent have the right to refuse treatment?

A mature minor is an adolescent younger than the age of majority. Such a minor can consent or refuse to consent to medical treatment if it is established that the minor is sufficiently mature to understand, discern and appreciate the benefits and risks of the proposed medical treatment.

Why is refusal of treatment an ethical dilemma?

In general, ethical tension exists when a physician's obligation to promote a patient's best interests competes with the physician's obligation to respect the patient's autonomy. “When you don't take your medication, you're more likely to get sick.”

What should a nurse do when a patient refuses medication?

If your patient refuses treatment or medication, your first responsibility is to make sure that he's been informed about the possible consequences of his decision in terms he can understand. If he doesn't speak or understand English well, arrange for a translator.

For what reasons might a provider not want to accept a patient?

The most common reason for refusing to accept a patient is the patient's potential inability to pay for the necessary medical services.

Can a person refuse medical treatment?

Patients usually have the right to refuse medical care, even if this could lead to death. For example, patients can refuse life-saving treatment like respirators or blood transfusions. Refusals must be free and informed.

What are a few examples of when a patient can refuse treatment?

1 Accordingly, the patient may refuse to be informed about their medical condition and make a decision. An example would be the statement, “I don't want to hear anything from you. I'm not going to the hospital.” They may be informed and then refuse to make a decision. “Wow, that sounds bad either way.

Can a 16 year old make an advance decision to refuse treatment?

Only people aged 18 and over can make an advanced decision to refuse medical treatment; Making a will. The law generally does not allow people under 18 to make a will and the MCA confirms that the Court of Protection has no power to make a statutory will on behalf of anyone under 18.

Can a child decline treatment?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the short answer is that the refusal of a competent minor, and if needs be that of his or her parents, can be overridden by a court if it is in his or her best interests to do so. It follows that the right of child and parent to refuse treatment is not absolute.

What are the situations in which a minor is able to refuse treatment and transport for him or herself?

In many states, a minor is allowed to refuse treatment when the parent or guardian is not immediately present. But, the child must have the maturity and intelligence to make an informed choice.

What to do when patient says no to treatment?

I care for my Father who was diagnosed with prostate cancer almost three years ago. Gleson 9. Spread to lymph nodes. His treatment has been working well up until recently and was suggested last week by the Consultant that chemotherapy would be next.

What to do when patient says no to treatment?

Hi there ... it sounds like you need a heart to heart and LISTEN to your dad ... l dont know his age but guess he's at least in his 60s ... I have breast cancer ... and although I had mastectomy I said no to radio even though I was grade 3, because of skin that doesn't heal well ...

What to do when patient says no to treatment?

Hello there spxppg; welcome to the forum. Sorry to learn about your dad. However the decision is of course his to make. You don't say how old your dad is but even if he is not elderly he may feel he has had enough and just cannot face any more treatment.

What to do when patient says no to treatment?

Hello spxppg, I was in a broadly similar position when my dad chose to end dialysis. He was 83, had had kidney failure for 3 years, and basically was tired of everything. My sister and I hardly ever agree on anything, but we both felt it was his choice to make, and supported him. He passed away knowing his wishes were respected.

What to do when patient says no to treatment?

A chat with your Dad may help make things clearer to you. My own Dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer at the age of 80 and was quite insistant (having listened politely to the options then available to him) that he did not want any treatment and would let 'nature take it's course'.

What does it mean when a teenager says "I don't need mental health treatment"?

1. “I don’t need mental health/substance abuse treatment.”. Many teens will downplay their mental health symptoms, or simply deny that they are struggling. When this happens, don’t immediately argue with them.

Why don't teens want to go to therapy?

The problem is, your teen does not want to go to treatment. Your teen could have a number of reasons why they don’t want to get mental health treatment. They could say they don’t need the help. Or that therapy won’t help anyway. Whatever it is, they are either refusing to go, or are physically going but not engaging with ...

Why do teens need mental health?

Your teen needs mental health treatment for a certain emotional, behavioral, or substance abuse problem. It could be depression, anxiety, trauma, ODD, DMDD, ADHD, prodromal psychosis, addiction, substance use, or any other mental health issue. The problem is, your teen does not want to go to treatment. Your teen could have a number of reasons why ...

Why do people go to therapy?

Additionally, note that many successful professionals and individuals around the world seek therapy, even if they don’t have a diagnosable mental health or substance abuse disorder! These people go to therapy to help them make decisions in their life or to help them solve problems.

Can a teenager with depression go to therapy?

If your teen does realize they might have a mental health or substance abuse problem but doesn’t think therapy will help, which is often the case for teens with depression, there are a few ways you can approach this. First, you can ask them how they know it won’t help if they’ve never tried it. Or, even if they’ve tried therapy in ...

Is stigma against mental health still there?

Unfortunately, the stigma against mental health treatment still exists. On a side note, there are many nonprofits which seek to reduce this stigma against mental health disorders in youth and teens, such as NAMI, the Trevor Project, Ok2Talk, Crisis Text Line, etc. Check out these websites and encourage your teen to check them out as well. Give them the statistics about teens with mental health issues. (According to the NIMH, about 1 in 5 teens is struggling with a mental health condition.)Respond to them that therapy is for anybody who needs it, and that people are not “crazy” for having a mental health issue.

Who is the most famous person to go to therapy?

Many high-profile, successful celebrities freely admit to going to therapy, including Brad Pitt, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez (who is an enthusiastic advocate of DBT teen treatment centers ). Additionally, note that many successful professionals and individuals around the world seek therapy, even if they don’t have a diagnosable mental ...

What does it mean to get to treatment acceptance?

Dental professionals believe in preventing pain, whereas patients often do not act until there is pain. In these cases, getting to treatment acceptance means helping the patient see that untreated conditions can result in greater pain. It sounds like a simple concept to us. But patients don’t always see it that way.

Why do dental hygienists accept treatment recommendations?

They accept treatment recommendations because they trust our professional judgment. These patients make our days easier. We get to feel that we’ve saved a person from a future dental emergency. Examples of this include identifying a marginal breakdown around an old restoration, recommending a crown to address a fracture before a tooth breaks, or treating gum disease before a tooth is lost. We may feel even more accomplished if a larger treatment plan like implants or orthodontics is accepted.

What are the factors that influence treatment acceptance?

Before we discuss the "no treatment" option, we must remember the other factors influencing treatment acceptance: values, communication, standards, and timing. In presenting proposed treatment, dental hygienists must first answer the following questions:

Is it a right to say no to treatment?

First and foremost, we must first accept that saying "no" to treatment is a patient’s right. In other words, no treatment is a treatment option. This may come as a surprise to many of you. As consumers of health care, we can all think of other times when people are put in a position to choose to accept proposed treatment. A good example is vaccination. The health benefits of vaccinations are very clearly presented in the literature. However, there is a certain percentage of people who still choose to decline vaccinations for their children. Rightly or wrongly, they have the right to make that choice. We do not live in a society that forces parents to vaccinate their children.

What happens if you don't consent to treatment?

Part of that pressure may be the belief that if they do not consent, they may experience adverse consequences, such as blocked access to needed care in the future.

What is the right to accept or reject medical interventions?

The right to accept or reject what (if any) medical interventions falls along with other core rights, such as where to live, whom to marry, and how to worship. This right to choose or decline medical treatment can only be overridden if there is evidence that an individual lacks decisional capacity.

Why are the patient and spouse surprised when they open the door?

The patient and spouse are surprised because they are under quarantine and are not expecting anyone. They open the door. An individual identifies themself as a nurse from the hospital that provided the IV treatment and states they are there to hospitalize the patient.

Why do patients capitulate to medical advice?

Some patients, despite decisional competence, may capitulate to a medical professional’s advice. This may occur because they are, as in our case example, in a vulnerable position. For example, a patient may be suffering from a condition that is potentially lethal and taking experimental treatment.

What does the nurse say about the patient's fears and distress about being in a hospital?

The nurse insists on the hospitalization and dismisses the patient’s fears and distress about being in a hospital as “silly.”. The nurse intimates that the patient’s IV procedure was approved only if they agreed to the staff’s recommendations. The patient again declines hospitalization.

What is the lack of competence?

Lack of competence may stem from cognitive deficits, such as severe dementia, or emotional deficits, such as severe clinical depression where the refusal of treatment may be in effect passive suicidality (Weinberger, Sreenivasan, & Garrick, 2014). However, even with severe mental illness, the mere diagnosis of such a condition would not preclude an ...

When was the right to choose first articulated?

The right to choose was articulated over a century ago. Mary Schloendorff was admitted in 1908 to the hospital for the treatment of a stomach disorder that was later identified to be a fibroid tumor. Surgery was recommended. Ms.

What happens when a patient relents?

Even if the patient relents, chances are their opinions haven’t changed—they’ve simply stopped vocalizing them. After a while, those internalized frustrations begin to fester and breed distrust and resentment, which is the last thing you want in a patient.

What is the first priority of a patient?

So, when a patient is resistant to your treatment plan—or makes demands that outright contradict evidence-based practice— nurturing motivation and buy-in becomes your first priority.

Why should a therapist be a guide?

The company culture and/or specifics in policies and procedures should be a therapist’s guide, because the goal is to keep the patient a ‘raving fan’ —even when you have to say no.”. Moreover, some practices prefer to have a manager step in to mediate patient-provider disagreements.

Can a therapist refer a patient to a different provider?

Depending on the situation, it may be appropriate to refer the patient to a different provider. Per Jewell, “If practice leadership supports it, the therapist may even be able to refer the patient to a colleague in a different practice.

Is rehab therapy a tough job?

Being a rehab therapist is a tough job. Constant pressure around efficiencies and the stress of documentation can make it tough to get through the day.”. However, it’s absolutely essential to examine your own role as the provider before passing blame to the patient.

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