Psychiatric Advance Directives: Practical, Legal, and Ethical Issues

Psychiatric Advance Directives are relatively new legal tools that allow competent persons to consent or refuse mental health treatment and designate a proxy decision maker in advance of a mental health crisis, during which they may lose capacity to make healthcare decisions. Psychiatric Advance Directives hold the promise of improving care during mental health crises but also raise a number of clinical, legal, and ethical issues. This article provides an illustration and critical analysis of issues raised by Psychiatric Advance Directives.