About PADs
- A psychiatric advance directive (PAD) is a legal document that documents a person’s preferences for future mental health treatment, and allows appointment of a health proxy to interpret those preferences during a crisis.
- PADs may be drafted when a person is well enough to consider preferences for future mental health treatment.
- PADs are used when a person becomes unable to make decisions during a mental health crisis.
Health and Legal Professionals
- Basic Information about Psychiatric Advance Directives
- Frequently Asked Questions about Psychiatric Advance Directives
- Educational Webcasts about Psychiatric Advance Directives
- Legal Resources on Psychiatric Advance Directives
- Scholarly Work on Psychiatric Advance Directives
- State-by-State Information about Psychiatric Advance Directives