Man functions both as an individual and as part of his group, the two roles sometimes leading to conflicting needs. If mental disorder contributes to such conflict then a psychiatrist may be expected to take a leading role in arbitrating between the needs and rights of the individual patient before him and the needs and rights of society. This is not an easy task. This paper seeks to clarify the range of roles the psychiatrist may have to adopt when attempting such a task: his role as an individual, as a member of the general public, as an agent of the patient, as an agent of the patient's representative or even as an agent of state authority or society. Some of the dilemmas that arise in each of these roles are discussed.
