Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of Supported Decision-Making: A Victorian Empirical Study

Abstract

This article examines the views of psychiatrists concerning ‘supported decision-making’ in the operation of mental health law. Supported decision-making is advanced in international human rights law, particularly with regards to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and is being developed at the domestic level in mental health law and policy by governments throughout the world, including in Victoria, Australia. The article draws on qualitative research conducted in the form of interviews with 11 psychiatrists currently working in Victoria. Interviewees tended to endorse supported decision-making, though each participant evidently differed in his or h..