Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Involving Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder and Their Parents/Carers in Research Priority Setting
Published on: June 6, 2020
Models of advance directives in mental health care: stakeholder views
Jacqueline M Atkinson1, Helen C Garner, W Harper Gilmour
1Public Health and Health Policy, Division of Community Based Sciences University of Glasgow, 1 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, Scotland. j.m.atkinson@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
Objective:
The aim of this study was to examine perceptions of the place of advance directives in mental health care.
Methods:
Postal survey of stakeholders was carried out to assess their views on different models of advance directives in mental health care. A total of 473 responded.
Results:
In all, 28% of psychiatrists thought advance directives were needed compared to 89% of voluntary organisations and above two-thirds of the other stakeholder groups. There were clear tensions between patient "autonomy" and "right to treatment" which underpin many of the concerns raised. Autonomy provided by advance directive can be contrasted with a co-operative partnership approach to advance planning. The legal status of advance directives is important for some people in relation to treatment refusal. There was general concern about the practical issues surrounding their implementation.
Conclusion:
There is a wide range of views in all stakeholder groups about the possible form advance directives should take. Although there is a widespread desire to increase patient involvement in treatment decisions, which advance directives could possibly help to realise, they may also have unwanted consequences for mental health services and individuals.
Related Concept Videos
Standards of Care II
Ethical Dilemmas II
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...
Ethics and Bioethics
