Psychiatric Advance Directives

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/18/opinion/letters/psychiatric-advance-directives.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Specifying Mental Health Care Before They’re Too Ill to Choose” (front page, Dec. 4):

We all want to feel in control of our lives, and there is much in the literature of the importance of self-advocacy in our own health care. This is particularly true for those with mental health challenges. There is a long and ugly history of defining people struggling with mental health issues by their diagnosis that has left many voiceless, with no control over their own lives.

The truth is that most men and women living with mental illness don’t need to be limited, and with the right supports in place they can live happy, healthy, productive lives, independently. Psychiatric advance directives have the potential to give patients greater ownership of the care they receive and make that care more effective.

Advance directives for the lives of those with mental health problems before situations get challenging are a victory for both patients and providers. Like anyone else, people with mental health issues deserve the right to shape their own lives; this includes where they live, whom they live with, where they work and the type of care they receive.

David WoodlockNew YorkThe writer, president and chief executive of the Institute for Community Living, was previously the deputy commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health.