ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a case of a 38-year-old woman who presents to the emergency department (ED) having taken an overdose some 6 hours ago. She is refusing to give consent for her blood to be taken for tests. She is also shouting 'you're not going to pump my stomach'. She took the overdose after finding out that her husband of 15 years is leaving her. The over- dose was impulsive. She wrote no note. She has three children who were in the house at the time of the overdose. She is adamant that there is no point in living, given she has been betrayed by her husband. She is sure her family will look after her children. Good practice involves treating patients obtaining appropriate informed consent. In this case it would be important to assess her capacity to consent to investigation and treatment but failing the capacity test does not require or necessarily imply a psychiatric diagnosis.
