Legal Mental Capacity: A Psychiatrist's Perspective
About the Topic:
The goal of the talk is to help listeners with the following:
1. Better understanding of the way in which decision-making capacity
may be affected by deficits in the four domains of mental function
mentioned both in the Due Process in Competency Determinations Act
(DPCDA) and in the Capacity Declaration--Conservatorship form.
2. Greater familiarity with the ways in which various psychiatric
disorders may affect decision-making capacity.
3. Increased ability to identify individuals who may have impaired
decision-making capacity.
About Our Speaker: Patrick Fitzsimmons, MD, specializes in assessing
capacity, susceptibility to undue influence, and the need for conservatorship
in adults of all ages who may have a mental disorder, especially older adults
suspected of having dementia. Dr. Fitzsimmons has 25 years experience as a
psychiatrist, is board certified in geriatric psychiatry, and is an author and
lecturer on mental capacity.