Abstract
Case Consultation: Diffusion of Responsibility in the Care of a Difficult Patient
Maltsberger J T~~Lester D~~et al
This case shows how a patient’s psychopathology can set caregivers against each other & promote suicide. Mark Rothko, the New York abstract expressionist painter was under the care of 3 doctors at the time of his suicide in 1970. Polypharmacy & confusion over medications were continual problems. This article describes the circumstances of the case & provides case comments by 2 physicians. With respect to treatment, it is noted that addressing his alcoholism should have been the highest priority.