Overview Terminology

The aim of advance statementsregarding mental health care isto give patients more influence over future treatment decisions, thus reducing the occurrence of coerced treatment. Theoretically possible types of advance statements have been de-lineated (1), but existing interventions have not been reviewed and com-pared. The aims of this review are to describe the main dimensions along which existing advance statements vary; to provide a background of the policy and service context in which each type of advance statement has developed; to compare each with re-spect to research evidence, estimated potential value, and barriers to imple-mentation; to examine their compati-bility or conflict with the practice of in-voluntary treatment, particularly in the community; and to consider the extent to which these statements may coexist with each other