Supporting Students: A Model Policy for Colleges and Universities

Colleges and Universites should be committed to the success of all their students, including those with mental health needs, and should know what to do when a student is in crisis because of a mental health problem.

P&A has developed a fill-in-the-blank form to help you develop your Advance Directive for Mental Health Treatment.

Advance Directive Form—in Word format

Advance Directive Form—in PDF format

Advance Directives for Mental Health Treatment

What is an advance directive for mental health treatment?

Many people who have mental illnesses are concerned that, at some point in
their lives, they might be subjected to psychiatric treatment that they don’t
want. Now Kentuckians can prepare a legal document in advance to express their
choices about treatment. House Bill 99, which the Kentucky General Assembly
passed in the 2003 legislative session, created the advance directive for mental
health treatment.

What instructions can I give?

The advance directive is a written, legally binding document that expresses
a person’s wishes about accepting or refusing mental health treatment.
For example, people with advance directives for mental health treatment can
tell their doctors in advance that they will not take specific psychotropic
medications. An advance directive might say beforehand that a person does not
want electric shock therapy. It can cover a person’s preferences for
psychotropic medications or preferences for emergency interventions before
a crisis occurs.

The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) is a national organization providing technical assistance about supportive housing for people with mental illnesses. Extensive publications and studies in the "Resources" section.

The National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness provides technical assistance on services for people who are homeless and have serious mental illnesses. Extensive online publications and training materials.

The American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry is a national association representing and serving its members and the field of geriatric psychiatry. It is dedicated to promoting the mental health and well being of older people and improving the care of those with late-life mental disorders. AAGP’s mission is to enhance the knowledge base and standard of practice in geriatric psychiatry through education and research and to advocate for meeting the mental health needs of older Americans.

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is the professional association for the field of marriage and family therapy. We represent the professional interests of more than 23,000 marriage and family therapists throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.

The American Psychiatric Association is a medical specialty society recognized world-wide. Its over 35,000 U.S. and international member physicians work together to ensure humane care and effective treatment for all persons with mental disorder, including mental retardation and substance-related disorders. It is the voice and conscience of modern psychiatry. Its vision is a society that has available, accessible quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment.

Based in Washington, DC, the American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States. With 150,000 members, APA is the largest association of psychologists worldwide.

For three decades, the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has been the nation's leading legal advocate for people with mental disabilities. Our precedent-setting litigation has outlawed institutional abuse and won protections against arbitrary confinement. In the courts and in Congress, our advocacy has opened up public schools, workplaces, housing and other opportunities for people with mental disabilities to participate in community life.