Preferences for Psychiatric Advance Directives Among Latinos: Views on Advance Care Planning for Mental Health

Objective: Psychiatric advance directives allow people to plan for future mental health care. Little is known about how minority groups, particularly Latinos, view these legal mechanisms. This study examined demand for, and attitudes toward, psychiatric advance directives among Latinos with mental illness (N=85), their family members (N=25), and their clinicians (N=30). Methods: All participants were interviewed. Results: Participants showed substantial interest in completing psychiatric advance directives, specifically involving family or other surrogates in the preparation and execution. There were few between-group differences in attitudes toward directives. Conclusions: Psychiatric advance directives provide an acceptable way to increase culturally appropriate services and family involvement for Latinos with mental illness. Psychiatric advance directive interventions should capitalize on the centrality of the family in Latino culture, which could provide an opportunity to reduce mental health crises in this population. (Psychiatric Services 60: 1383-1385, 2009)