Advance Directives in Mental Health

Publisher's Description: 

An advance directive is a way of making a person's views known if he or she should become mentally incapable of giving consent to treatment, or making informed choices about treatment, at some future time.  This book is a comprehensive and accessible guide for mental health professionals advising service users on their choices about treatment in the event of future episodes of mental illness, covering all ideological, legal and medical aspects of advance directives.

Jacqueline Atkinson explains their origins and significance in the context of mental health legislation and compares advance directives in mental health with those in other areas of medicine like dementia or terminal illness, offering a general overview of the difference in the laws of various English-speaking countries.  She explores issues of autonomy and responsibility in mental health and gives practical advice on how to set up, implement and change advance directives.