The 51st Meeting of the NH/VT Ethics Committees: Navigating Decision-Making Capacity amid Mental Illness Capacity Assessment Part 1 of 4

Dartmouth Health Continuing Education for Professionals Home, The 51st Meeting of the NH/VT Ethics Committees: Navigating Decision-Making Capacity amid Mental Illness “ Capacity Assessment “ Part 1 of 4, 10/25/2021 8:00:00 AM - 10/25/2024 8:00:00 AM, Decision-making capacity can be challenging to assess in patients with mental health diagnoses. Clinicians often struggle with the balance between a desire to respect autonomy and a duty to protect. In this conference, we will discuss challenges in decision-making capacity assessment involving adult and pediatric patients with mental health diagnoses.

Presenter
Christine Finn, MD “ Vice Chair for Clinical Services, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire. Dr. Finn is a clinical psychiatrist with experience in the evaluation of patients for clinical decision making capacity. 

Learning Outcome(s)
At the conclusion of this learning activity, (at least 75% of) participants will be able to discuss current issues related to ethical dilemmas posed by patients with mental illness who are asked to make a health care related decision.

Disclosure
The activity director(s), planning committee member(s), speaker(s), author(s) or anyone in a position to control the content for this activity have reported NO financial relationship(s)* with ineligible companies**. 

* A financial relationship" includes employee, researcher (named as the PI), consultant, advisor, speaker, independent contractor (including contracted research), royalties or patent beneficiary, executive role, and/or an ownership interest (not including stocks owned in a managed portfolio).

** An ineligible company is any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Bibliographic Resources
Schouten R: Psychiatry and the law I: Informed consent, competency, treatment refusal, and civil commitment. Psychiatry Update and Board Preparation, 2/E. Stern TA, Herman JB, editors. 2004; McGraw-Hill, New York; 411-415.

Appelbaum PS, Grisso T: Assessing patients™ capacities to consent to treatment. New England Journal of Medicine, 1988; 319: 1635-1638.