Medical certification of the mentally ill: a protection for the individual's rights.

Physicians have been criticized for abusing the civil rights of the mentally ill by their methods of committal. To see if such criticism is justified in Canada, a review was conducted of all the major legal journals to identify cases in which it was alleged that physicians had wrongfully certified a patient. These cases are outlined, and, when considered along with the scientific literature, show no justification to support allegations of abuse, but rather show that physicians act with care and concern on behalf of their patients.