Resolution of a treatment impasse by combining two Dutch laws regarding a patient with paranoid thoughts and a testicular cancer

Doctors dealing with patients who simultaneously have both psychiatric and somatic disorders often find themselves 'trapped' between two Dutch laws, the WBGO (the Law on the Medical Contract) and the Bopz (Law on Compulsory Admission to Psychiatric Hospitals). In order to illustrate a typical situation we present a case-study concerning a 50-year-old male with a probable seminoma testis and paranoid thoughts arising from an autistic disorder. The patient had refused the investigations and treatment that were considered necessary. His compulsory attendance at the Court of Law and the adoption, by the doctors, of a multidisciplinary approach led to a successful outcome and patient satisfaction. We hope that the new Involuntary Mental Health Care Act (WvGGZ) will bridge the current gap between WGBO and the Bopz.