If making decisions about your mental health treatment is important to you and you have some concerns about your future mental health, consider the Advance Directive for Mental Health Treatment.

This Advance Directive is a way to establish guidelines in case you become incapable of making decisions for yourself. Mental health treatment includes (but is not limited to) electroshock therapy, psychoactive medications, admission to a mental health treatment center and outpatient services.

In an advance directive you can appoint a representative to make your mental health treatment decisions, specify your wishes concerning psychoactive medications and electroshock therapy, state which treatment facility you prefer and those which you do not, state your preferred doctor, and put in writing whom you want notified if you are admitted to a treatment facility. The law provides you cannot be kept in a mental health treatment facility for more than 15 days. The law also provides limitations as to who cannot be your representative or a witness.

The advance directive is valid only if it is signed by you and two competent witnesses and accompanied by a written mental status examination performed by a physician or psychologist attesting to your ability to make reasoned decisions concerning your mental health treatment. It is valid for 5 years or until revoked, whichever occurs first.

Contact us for more information at 504-467-1092 or 504-467-1130