On Saturday, June 5th, more than 50 mental health consumers filled the living room at Thresholds’ Dincin Center for Recovery to hear a presentation on psychiatric advance directives (PADs). The 1 1/2 hour educational session was given by Laurel Spahn, a staff attorney for the Guardianship & Advocacy Commission’s Legal Advocacy Service, and Alex Magnus, a mental health consumer.
Most people with a psychiatric illness live in fear of being involuntarily committed to a hospital. This fear is based on the total loss of control they will have in directing their treatment. They will be locked up and then left out of the treatment decision-making process.
PADs are legal documents that help return control to the psychiatric patient and promote their participation in treatment decision-making. These documents allow a competent person to make decisions in advance about mental health treatment preferences in areas including psychotropic medication, electroconvulsive therapy, short-term admission to a treatment facility, and the appointment of a “proxy” decision-maker.
Research has shown a strong interest among mental health consumers in PADs, but only a small percentage of people complete them unless they are given help with the documents. Illinois recognizes two types of PADs – (1) a declaration for mental health treatment and (2) a power of attorney for health care – and it can be difficult to understand their different features and signing requirements without professional assistance.
Laurel and Alex are part of an ongoing recovery initiative at Thresholds to provide education and professional support around advance directives. Laurel and her legal services team will be back at Thresholds to conduct a clinic for people who attended the educational session and wish to complete advance directives.
Tools supporting self-directed care, such as advance directives, are fundamental to mental health recovery. If you would like more information about PADs, the National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives, www.nrc-pad.org, is the place to start. If you would like help in completing an Illinois advance directive form, you may contact the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission at the toll free number: 866/274-8023.
