“The mission of the Mental Health Division is to promote recovery and safety.”

Mental Health Advance Directives

A brochure on Mental Health Advance Directives is available through the Department of Printing. This tri-fold brochure is appropriate for waiting room areas and to give to consumers for general information. For information about mental health advance directives, please contact Chris Imhoff (imhoffc@dshs.wa.gov) or call her at (360) 902-0803.

What is a mental health advance directive?

A mental health advance directive is a written document that describes what you want to happen if you become so incapacitated by mental illness that your judgment is impaired and/or you are unable to communicate effectively. It can inform others about what treatment you want or don't want, and it can identify a person to whom you have given the authority to make decisions on your behalf. For more information, please read the pamphlet above or the like to the law below.

How do I complete a mental health advance directive?

A model "fill-in-the-blanks" form was included in the state law and it is probably the best and easiest way to create a mental health advance directive. You can print or save the mental health advance directive form image for link to Word document. Your mental health provider may also have copies of the form.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files and you can download it for free. If you do not have an application that can display Microsoft Word documents (.doc), you can download a free Word Viewer.