Pat Capponi, a psychiatric survivor and prominent advocate for the rights of persons with mental illness, has been appointed to Ontario’s Consent and Capacity Board. The Board is an independent panel established by the provincial government to conduct hearings on a person’s capacity to consent to or refuse treatment, and determine whether Ontarians receiving psychiatric treatment are capable of living outside an institution without endangering themselves or others. The Board consists of 131 members: 45 lawyers, 44 psychiatrists and 42 members of the public.
Pat Capponi’s appointment is the first time that the Board has ever appointed a mental health service user to sit on its committee.
See “A door opens for the mentally ill” at www.thestar.com.