Psychiatrists and their patients--confidential information in the wake of spycatcher.

This article examines a recent decision of the English Court of Appeal. It concerned a psychiatrist who examined and reported on a convicted murderer in a secure hospital. The report was commissioned by the patient's solicitors as evidence in support of his release. The report was emphatically unfavourable and the doctor insisted that it be revealed to the hospital authorities. The solicitors refused and litigation ensued. The courts were forced to rule on the conflict between the patient's right to privacy and the public interest in revealing the report.