Computer-assisted creation of psychiatric advance directives

Results are reported from a project that involved design, production, and feasibility testing of the use of a multimedia computer program to: 1) educate MH consumers about psychiatric advance directives (ADs), and 2) assist them in creating ADs. The feasibility results, based on a random sample of 60 adults meeting criteria for having a serious and persistent mental illness, were positive. Sixty-five percent of the sample were able to complete their ADs. Educational level, presence of a learning disability, and minority-group membership, but not diagnosis, were related to completion rates. The results dispel several popular myths about psychiatric ADs.