Mental Health America of Virginia The voice of reason in mental health advocacy

What is a psychiatric advance directive (PAD)?

A PAD is a legal document created by a competent person. The purpose of the document is to allow the person to give instructions for future mental health treatment or appoint an agent to make future decisions about mental health treatment. The document is used when the person who created the document experiences acute episodes of psychiatric illness and becomes unable to make or communicate decisions about treatment.

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