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A Few Thoughts about Special Needs Planning for Mental Illness

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Special Needs Alliance
A Few Thoughts about Special Needs Planning for Mental Illness

Advance planning is essential in providing for the well-being of an individual with severe mental illness. The shifting presentation of its symptoms, however, demands an adjustable approach.


While even a person with severe mental illness may usually be perfectly competent, modest changes in circumstances can rapidly cause a sharp and devastating deterioration. The wrong salad dressing in a restaurant is a minor annoyance to most; to a person with an affective or paranoid disorder, it can be proof of a conspiracy, or worse. A missed dose of Lipitor to a heart patient may be of passing concern; a missed Prolixin injection in a person with schizophrenia may light a fuse. Without medicine – and sometimes, even with and because of the medicine – a perfectly ordinary person can quickly become dangerous to himself or others, and easy prey to financial predators.


The objective in these cases is to craft legal instruments with sufficient flexibility to promote independence when possible, and protection when needed.


Many family members are aware that they may choose between a number of trust instruments to provide for the financial well-being of their loved ones.


A PAD confers great authority and should not be lightly granted. Peer counseling, by individuals who have benefited from this sensitive and discreet course, has been greatly successful in educating families about the advantages of being proactive. A helpful resource for families and civic groups in this area of health care is http://www.advancedirective.org, which provides forms, peer training modules and other materials for these very important documents.


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