OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to assess treatment decision-making capacity (TDMC) in a child and adolescent psychiatric sample and to verify possible associations between TDMC, psychiatric symptom severity, and cognitive functioning. METHODS Twenty-two consecutively recruited patients hospitalized for an acute mental disorder, aged 11-18 years, underwent measurement of TDMC by the MacArt...

This study examines the competence-related abilities of 120 psychiatrically hospitalized male juveniles age 10 to 17 years, using the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Criminal Adjudication (MacCAT-CA), the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-Anchored (BPRS-A), the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument (MAYSI), the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT), and discharge diagnoses derived from f...

Prior empirical studies suggest that cognitive impairment is the strongest predictor of capacity to consent to research among persons with schizophrenia. Yet, despite the frequency and importance of cognitive deficits and impaired decisional capacity in schizophrenia, the scope of neuropsychological testing in most published reports in this area has been relatively narrow. In the present study ...

BACKGROUND Although people with schizophrenia display impaired abilities for consent, it is not known how much impairment constitutes incapacity. AIMS To assess a method for determining the categorical capacity status of potential participants in schizophrenia research. METHOD Expert-judgement validation of capacity thresholds on the sub-scales of the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Cl...

BACKGROUND Is the nature of decision-making capacity (DMC) for treatment significantly different in medical and psychiatric patients? AIMS To compare the abilities relevant to DMC for treatment in medical and psychiatric patients who are able to communicate a treatment choice. METHOD A secondary analysis of two cross-sectional studies of consecutive admissions: 125 to a psychiatric hospital...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of mental capacity to make decisions on treatment in people from different diagnostic and legal groups admitted to psychiatric hospital. DESIGN Cross sectional study. SETTING General adult acute psychiatric inpatient units. PARTICIPANTS 350 consecutive people admitted to psychiatric wards from the community over 16 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Mental...

OBJECTIVE To explore the relationship of the 4 decision-making abilities (Understanding, Appreciation, Reasoning, and Expressing a Choice) and neuropsychological performance in patients with very mild and mild dementia. METHODS Chinese subjects were recruited from local social centres and residential hostels for elderly people in Hong Kong. Clinical diagnosis was made by experienced geriatric...

BACKGROUND The MacArthur Admission Experience Survey (AES) is a widely used tool to evaluate the level of perceived coercion experienced at psychiatric hospital admission. The French-language AES was prepared using a translation/back-translation procedure. It consists of 16 items and 3 subscores (perceived coercion, negative pressures and voice). This study aimed to assess the psychometric prop...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to explore the neuropsychological basis of competence to consent to treatment in first-episode schizophrenia by evaluating its differential and joint links with cognitive versus metacognitive performance. METHODS Twenty-one first-episode patients were assessed with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) and a metacognitive version ...