Doctor Liable for Malpractice In Depressed Patient's Suicide

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Plaintiff executor of patient's estate brought a medical malpractice action against defendants, prescribing physician, treating physician, and professional corporation, for the patient's wrongful death. The trial court (Connecticut) entered judgment against the prescribing physician and professional corporation and for the treating physician. The prescribing physician and professional corporation appealed. The appeal was transferred to the court.

The treating physician discontinued the medication because the patient's depression had resolved. When the patient called and advised that the depression had recurred, the prescribing physician, who was on call for the treating physician, prescribed 100 pills of the medication with two refills based only on the phone conversation. The patient overdosed. The court held that there was sufficient evidence that the suicide was a foreseeable result of failure to conform to the accepted standard of care. The court held that the denial of the motion to set aside the verdict was not error even though the executor failed to prove the surplus uncontrollable impulse rule allegations because the case was tried as a malpractice case and the executor proved enough to sustain the judgment. The denial of the motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict was not error because the evidence sufficiently established malpractice based on expert testimony that suicide was a known risk in depressed individuals and that prescription of the large dosage to a patient that the prescribing physician had never seen without a suicide assessment fell below the accepted standard of care for internists.

The court affirmed the trial court's judgment that held the prescribing physician and the professional corporation liable to the executor for the medical malpractice that caused the patient's foreseeable suicide.ever seen without a suicide assessment fell below the accepted standard of care for internists.

At Maya Murphy, P.C., our personal injury attorneys are dedicated to achieving the best results for individuals and their family members and loved ones whose daily lives have been disrupted by injury, whether caused by a motor vehicle or pedestrian accident, a slip and fall, medical malpractice, a defective product, or otherwise. Our attorneys are not afraid to aggressively pursue and litigate cases and have extensive experience litigating personal injury matters in both state and federal courts, and always with regard to the unique circumstances of our client and the injury he or she has sustained.

Source: Edwards v. Tardif, 240 Conn. 610, 692 A.2d 1266, 1997 Conn. LEXIS 113 (Conn. 1997)