Deathbed wills: assessing testamentary capacity in the dying patient

Peisah, Carmelle; Luxenberg, Jay S.; Liptzin, Benjamin; Wand, Anne; Shulman, Kenneth I.; Finkel, Sanford I.

doi:10.1017/s1041610213001774

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Other cases include mesothelioma, progressive supranuclear palsy, cancer with metastasis to the brain, and corticobasal degeneration. Further, multiple cases involve patients with delirium (Liptzin et al, 2010) or deathbed wills (Peisah et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Geriatric Forensic Psychiatry Rotation at University of Chicago: Utilization and Educational Benefit of a Subspecialty Rotation in Psychiatric Residency Training

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ten years ago, the University of Chicago Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience established a geriatric forensic psychiatry rotation for 4th-year psychiatry residents as one option in a required experience in forensic psychiatry. The rotation’s primary emphasis was to learn about cases of testamentary capacity and undue influence. The program was supervised by a senior faculty member, an experienced clinician who was board-certified in Geriatric Psychiatry.ResultsOver the past decade, three of the 11 residents have pursued career paths in forensic psychiatry, while another has become a geriatric psychiatrist. More than half of the respondents have pursued geriatric and/or forensic work following their graduations, and all believe that what they learned in the rotation applied to their general practice work. All 11 indicated that the rotation increased their interest in and understanding of forensic work. Ten “strongly agreed” that the geriatric forensic psychiatry rotation was a valuable learning experience; one “agreed.” On average, trainees worked on 4.64 forensic cases over the course of the rotation and attended 2–3 trials or depositions. Over the last 3 years of the program, all three of the participating residents have chosen to complete a forensic fellowship following the rotation.ConclusionResidents affirm that a geriatric forensic psychiatry rotation is a valuable learning experience, one that has utility after their graduation. The University of Chicago Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience is committed to continuing this rotation as an important part of their forensic experience in resident education and to encourage more interest in the area of geriatric psychiatry.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Geriatric Forensic Psychiatry Rotation at University of Chicago: Utilization and Educational Benefit of a Subspecialty Rotation in Psychiatric Residency Training

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additionally, there was insufficient information to determine whether individuals had a terminal illness and thus, how many of these wills were indeed ‘deathbed wills’. 30…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, there was insufficient information to determine whether individuals had a terminal illness and thus, how many of these wills were indeed 'deathbed wills' . 30 The absence of information about prior wills or wishes from the same people is also a limitation given that a significant deviation from prior expressed wishes could also be a factor that influences testamentary capacity. The degree to which suicide victims consider the act of bequeathing as a form of compensation to loved ones for their death or even as a justification for their death was also not examined in this study and merits further exploration.…”

Section: Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Last wills and testaments in a large sample of suicide notes: Implications for testamentary capacity

Sinyor

Schaffer

Hull³

et al. 2015

Br J Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…People who are dying may experience the existing physical and cognitive symptoms of dementia and aging in general, so their decision-making capacity is often impaired. 29 When there is suspicion of undue influence, the threshold for TC becomes higher and there is increased need for more careful and detailed evaluation of the cognitive and perceptional ability of the patient during the time of will making.…”

Section: Testamentary Capacity-legal Aspectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testamentary Capacity Assessment: Legal, Medical, and Neuropsychological Issues

Voskou

Douzenis

Economou

et al. 2017

J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Deathbed wills: assessing testamentary capacity in the dying patient

Abstract: Dual ethical principles of promoting autonomy of older people with mental disorders whilst protecting them against abuse and exploitation are at stake here. To date, there has been scant discourse in the scientific literature regarding this issue.

Cited by 16 publications

References 29 publications

The Geriatric Forensic Psychiatry Rotation at University of Chicago: Utilization and Educational Benefit of a Subspecialty Rotation in Psychiatric Residency Training

The Geriatric Forensic Psychiatry Rotation at University of Chicago: Utilization and Educational Benefit of a Subspecialty Rotation in Psychiatric Residency Training

Last wills and testaments in a large sample of suicide notes: Implications for testamentary capacity

Testamentary Capacity Assessment: Legal, Medical, and Neuropsychological Issues

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About