Eleanor Riese

Eleanor Riese (1943–1991) was an American patient who sued a hospital for her right to refuse antipsychotic medication.[1] The court decision significantly changed the approach to psychiatric patients.[2]

Eleanor Jeanne Riese
BornSeptember 4, 1943
San Francisco, California, U.S
DiedApril 6, 1991
San Francisco, California, U.S
Known forClass-action lawsuit against the St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco

Biography

Riese was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1980, when she was 25 years old.

Lawsuit

In 1985, when she was 31, Reise led a class-action lawsuit against the St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco. Her lawyers argued that during her stay there Riese developed symptoms caused by antipsychotic medication she did not consent to.[3]

The lawsuit was highly remarkable for its time, and it quickly went national, attracting the attention of advocacy groups and organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association. Finally, California Court of Appeals in a unanimous ruling about Riese v. St. Mary’s Hospital and Medical Center suit decided that antipsychotic medications "may not be prescribed to involuntarily committed mental patients in non-emergency situations without their informed consent".[4]

In culture

Riese's life was depicted in the 2017 film 55 Steps by Bille August.

See also

References
  1. Bishop, Katherine (22 December 1987). "Court Rules Mental Patients May Reject Forced Drugging (Published 1987)". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  2. Rubin, Jane. "The forcible administration of anti-psychotic medications to involuntarily detained patients: An empirical study of clinical judgments of dangerousness in the aftermath of the Riese decision". ProQuest. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  3. Schuster, Sarah (8 May 2023). "New Movie Examines Issue in Psychiatric Hospitals We Don't Talk About Enough". The Mighty. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  4. "Involuntary medications: Riese v. St. Mary's Case Summary". Mental Illness Policy Org. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
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