I'm interning in the emergency department right now. We recently had a schizophrenic patient come in and then had a major breakdown, becoming very violent and throwing tables at staff members. He eventually agreed to take IM ativan to help him calm down but the doctor ordered haldol and the nurse then lied and gave it to the patient saying it was ativan. I was just wondering is this illegal? While it was medically necessary for both the patient and the staff I was unsure whether or not it was ok to do.