The 51st Meeting of the NH/VT Ethics Committees: Navigating Decision-Making Capacity amid Mental Illness Eating Disorders Part 2 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 “ Eating Disorders “ Part 2 of 4, 10/25/2021 8:00:00 AM - 10/25/2024 9:00:00 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.

Presenters
Devendra (Dev) Thakur, MD “ Staff Physician, Department of Inpatient Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, New Hampshire. Dr. Thakur completed a residency in general psychiatry and a fellowship in consultation-liaison psychiatry (psychosomatic medicine), of which evaluation of capacity is an important focus. I have been directing the psychiatry consultation service here and providing consultation regarding decisional capacity for over five years.

John Corbett, MD “ PGY- 3 Resident, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire. Dr. Corbett has directly cared for a specific patient with an eating disorder while in Psychiatry consult services. Study of eating disorders as a resident. Will provide first hand insight gained by caring for this particular unidentified patient.

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
Barstow, Craig, et al. Evaluating Medical Decision-Making Capacity in Practice. American Family Physician, 1 July 2018, https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0701/p40.html.
 
Elzakkers, Isis F.F.M., et al. Mental Capacity to Consent to Treatment in Anorexia Nervosa: Explorative Study. BJPsych Open, vol. 2, no. 2, 2016, pp. 147“153., https://doi.org/10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.002485.
 
Hope, Tony, et al. Agency, Ambivalence and Authenticity: The Many Ways in Which Anorexia Nervosa Can Affect Autonomy. International Journal of Law in Context, vol. 9, no. 1, 2013, pp. 20“36., https://doi.org/10.1017/s1744552312000456.
 
Russon, Lynne, and Dawn Alison. Palliative Care Does Not Mean Giving Up. Boston Medical Journal, vol. 317, 18 July 1998, pp. 196“197.