Advance directives
Definition
An advance directive is a written document in which people clearly specify how medical decisions affecting them are to be made if they are unable to make them, or to authorize a specific person to make such decisions for them. These documents are sometimes called "living wills." Psychiatric advance directives serve the same purpose as general medical advance directives, but are written by mental health consumers as a set of directions for others to follow, made in advance of an injury, psychiatric illness, or crisis.
Description
Many consumers of mental health services know which treatments work best for them and, over the past several years, their opinions have become increasingly valued by those providing services. However, when a mental health consumer becomes unable to make...
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