Also known as: mental illnesses · mentally ill · mental disorder · psychiatric illness
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A disorder in thought or mood so substantial that it impairs judgment, behavior, perceptions of reality, or the ability to cope with the ordinary demands of life.
Miles Montgomery suffered from severe PTSD that produced recurring dissociative episodes. During one episode he cut fences and released livestock onto a highway, causing a motorist to crash. Because the mental illness left him unable to control his actions or conform his conduct to the law, the court acquitted him under the irresistible impulse test.
Michelle Murphy had been the sole eyewitness to a key conversation but developed a progressive mental illness that confined her to home care. When called to testify she could not appear because of that illness. The court therefore declared her unavailable under Rule 804(a)(4) and permitted introduction of her prior recorded statement.
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Matthew Martinez gave a detailed confession after hours of police questioning. Although he had a documented mental illness that affected his impulse control, no officer used coercion or overreaching tactics. The court held the confession voluntary because mental illness alone, without state compulsion, does not render a statement involuntary.
After a court adjudicated Mason McCarthy mentally ill and placed his property under guardianship, he signed a large loan agreement with a bank. Because the guardianship rested on the adjudication of mental illness, Mason lacked capacity to incur any contractual duties and the agreement was void.
Melanie Morris suffered from bipolar disorder that produced an overpowering urge to set a fire. She knew the act was legally wrong and that society condemned it. Under the traditional M'Naghten test the court rejected her insanity claim because loss of behavioral control caused by mental illness supplies no defense.
Mina Mehta, while experiencing a manic episode of her bipolar disorder, signed a complex investment contract. She could not understand the transaction's risks in a reasonable manner and the other party had reason to know of her condition. The court held the contract voidable at Mina's election under the mental-illness provision of the Restatement.
No. An adult is held to the objective standard of a reasonably prudent person under like circumstances. Mental illness does not reduce that standard or excuse conduct that falls below it.
A lawyer may take reasonably necessary protective action, including consulting family or seeking a guardianship, when the lawyer reasonably believes the client has diminished capacity, faces substantial harm, and cannot adequately act in his own interest.
No. Under the traditional interpretation of M'Naghten the defendant's inability to control his behavior is irrelevant. Only a defect in reasoning that prevents the defendant from knowing the act is wrong supplies a defense.
A contract is voidable if mental illness or defect prevents the party from understanding the transaction in a reasonable manner or from acting reasonably in relation to it when the other party has reason to know of the condition.
Yes. Under Rule 804(a)(4) a declarant is unavailable when he cannot be present or testify because of a then-existing mental illness.
…decision to seek assistance in dying. Although, as the New York Task Force report discusses, diagnosing depression and other mental illness is not always easy, mental health workers and other professionals expert in working with dying patients can help patients cope with depression and pain, and help patients assess their…