[Mental Health courts: therapeutic jurisprudence in action].

In Québec, as elsewhere in North America, psychiatric deinstitutionalization, lack of community mental health resources as well as legislative changes to civil and criminal codes have led to an increased probability that individuals with a mental illness come into contact with the criminal justice system. Based on the principle of therapeutic jurisprudence, mental health courts constitute emerging diversion programs, taking place within the court, implemented to offer an alternative to incarceration for individuals with a mental illness. This article offers a critical synthesis of the scientific literature on the topic.

[Psychiatric advance directives and the role of autonomy].

Although psychiatric advance directives (PADs) are grounded in the ethics of autonomy, the relationship between the two is unclear. PADs are legal documents that allow individuals with mental illness to record their treatment preferences should they become incompetent in the future. The relationship between autonomy and PADs has been discussed in ethical, legal, and philosophical terms, but has not been clearly operationalized for clinical purposes.

Psychiatric advance directives and the right to refuse treatment in Canada.

Objective: To provide a Canadian perspective on psychiatric advance directives (PADs) and assess whether these documents can be implemented as an adjunct to mental health services to empower people with mental illness.

Method: We reviewed Canadian jurisprudence over the past 15 years related to people with mental illness and the right to refuse medical treatment. Provincial mental health legislation is explained to discern PADs' possible effect in Canada.