This article presents the case of a young, second generation American Muslim man who was admitted involuntarily to an adult psychiatric inpatient unit. The patient’s clinical picture was unclear—the treatment team was unsure if he demonstrated signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder or if a personality disorder (antisocial or narcissistic) better explained his presentation. His clinical picture after a couple of weeks of hospitalization was not sufficiently acute that he needed to remain in the hospital, but he refused to leave because he wanted documentation that he had no mental illness. This article considers the patient’s history, the nuances of psychiatric diagnosis, the issues involving psychiatry and the law that arose in this case, and the collaboration of the psychiatric providers with the Chaplain Imam at the hospital. The case illustrates a collision between the limitations of science and the expectations of the patient and his family within our broader social, cultural, and professional contexts.

本文介绍了一个年轻的第二代美国穆斯林男子的案例，他非自愿入住成人精神病院。患者的临床情况不清楚——治疗团队不确定他是否表现出双相情感障碍的体征和症状，或者人格障碍（反社会或自恋）是否能更好地解释他的表现。住院几周后，他的临床表现还不够严重，需要留在医院，但他拒绝离开，因为他需要证明他没有精神疾病的文件。本文考虑了患者的病史、精神病学诊断的细微差别、涉及精神病学的问题和本案中出现的法律，以及精神病学提供者与医院牧师伊玛目的合作。