Patterson

*929 Opinion

This petition, brought by parents suing for the wrongful suicide death of their son, challenges an order requiring disclosure of the decedent’s medical and psychiatric records pertaining to treatment by other facilities before his referral to the facility where the suicide occurred. The trial court accepted the defense argument that by bringing the wrongful death action petitioners tendered the issue of decedent’s medical and psychiatric condition. We sustain the trial court’s ruling.

The complaint in the underlying action alleges that when decedent Steven Patterson was transferred from the psychiatric ward of Chope Hospital to Cordilleras Center (one of the real parties in interest here) he was diagnosed as schizophrenic and his chart from Chope Hospital noted two prior suicide attempts. During the early days of his commitment to Cordilleras Center he was diagnosed as having “suicide ideation” and was placed in seclusion under close observation. Three days later, based upon a “pact” with the hospital staff that he would not hurt himself or try to kill himself, seclusion and close observation were discontinued. Two weeks later, on March 3, 1981, he hung himself from…