Psychiatry.org – Psychiatric Advance Directives

Patients often experience a lack of full control over important treatment decisions about their mental health, especially during times of mental health crisis. This can lead to suffering for patients and frustration for their families. Psychiatric advance directives (PADs) provide an opportunity for patients to outline their preferences about their mental health treatment in the event that they become unable to make such decisions for themselves in the future.

A PAD is a legal document in which patients can describe the types of mental health treatments that they would or would not be willing to receive. Patients can also use a PAD to appoint an authorized decisionmaker, or agent, to make mental health treatment decisions on their behalf. Physicians can use PADs to get a clearer understanding of the patient’s treatment preferences, how to best support the patient during crisis, and who to contact about the patient’s mental health care. PADs serve as a way to protect a patient’s autonomy over treatment decisions and to enable families to assist their loved ones in a crisis.