title: [Legal guardianship in psychiatric consultation].
abstract: The goal of the new guardianship law in Germany, in effect since 1992, is to enable the mentally ill to lead as independent a life as possible and as long as possible without any legal action. However, a comparison of 81 (1991) cases decided under the old law and 82 (1992) decided under the revised law as part of a psychiatric liaison service at a large general hospital showed that in practice the benefits for one of the main groups affected, elderly patients with dementia, might be relatively small. There are two reasons for this: the legal decision about incompetency has become more complicated and the social circumstances of the individuals affected can be changed very little by the law.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie, Klinisches Institut, München.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hiller
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007872:Legal Guardians; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*