# Assessing decision-making capacity in psychiatric patients: assisted dying and forensic contexts - URL: https://alisanburak.com/en/wcp-2026-posterler/k2183 - Language: en - Last updated: not specified - Page title: Assessing decision-making capacity in psychiatric patients: assisted dying and forensic contexts | WCP 2026 Summary > Decision-making capacity is decision-specific and assessed across four elements; in complex situations such as assisted dying and forensic contexts, this asses… This page was translated automatically from Turkish. [Read the original](https://alisanburak.com/wcp-2026-posterler/k2183) This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it. Plenary Session and Distinguished LectureEducation and EthicsReview / Opinion # Assessing decision-making capacity in psychiatric patients: assisted dying and forensic contexts Assessing decision-making capability in psychiatric patients: assisted dying and forensic Presenter: Rebecca Brendel Weintraub Country: United States of America Session: 3960 - DISTINGUISHED LECTURES: ETHICS, COGNITION, AND GENOMIC FRAMEWORKS IN CONTEMPORARY PSYCHIATRY Date: Fri, 25.09.2026, 16:15 - 16:45 Room: Victoria Hall Decision-making capacity is decision-specific and assessed across four elements; in complex situations such as assisted dying and forensic contexts, this assessment must be considered alongside variability in judgments and the risks of bias. The talk places capacity assessment at the center of ethically sound practice because it underpins informed consent and respect for persons, noting that its relevance extends beyond medicine to determining individuals’ expectations and freedoms within society. Capacity is considered decision-specific and is generally conceptualized in terms of four elements: the ability to express a consistent choice; a basic factual understanding of the situation and proposed interventions; appreciation of the seriousness of the circumstances, including the risks and benefits of alternative courses of action; and the ability to reason with information while taking one’s own values and life circumstances into account. Clinical, neurocognitive, cultural, linguistic, and interpersonal factors can affect each of these elements, and impairments may be reversible. In clinical practice, capacity is often questioned only when a patient refuses the recommended treatment, leading clinicians to apply an implicit risk–benefit sliding scale. Psychiatrists may also be asked to assess decision-making capacity in situations at the intersection of law and medicine: when protective proceedings are initiated for people alleged to lack capacity, when involuntary treatment is considered because of a risk of harm to oneself or others, or when, in the context of terminal illness and unbearable suffering, a person chooses a life-ending intervention through physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. Conceptual and practical approaches to capacity assessment in these complex situations are considered alongside persistent challenges, including variability in judgments, comparisons between cognitive and relational paradigms, potential bias toward a “best interests” standard defined by clinicians, third parties, and legal authorities, and unresolved questions about who should make the decision when capacity is in doubt. How to cite this study APA 7: Weintraub, R. B., et al. (2026, September 25). Assessing decision-making capability in psychiatric patients: assisted dying and forensic [Keynote address]. 26th WPA World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP 2026), Stockholm, Sweden. Vancouver: Weintraub RB, et al. Assessing decision-making capability in psychiatric patients: assisted dying and forensic [keynote address]. 26th WPA World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP 2026); 2026 Sep 23-26; Stockholm, Sweden. 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