Psychiatric Advance Directive

The Department of Human Services’ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services has launched a secure online registry that provides health care providers immediate and streamlined access to advanced directives containing consumers’ choices about their mental health care for those consumers who choose to submit this information.

A Psychiatric Advanced Directive (PAD) is a written legal document that expresses an individual’s preferences about their mental health care during a personal mental health crisis.

NJPAD is available for consumers and certain New Jersey mental health care providers such as   designated DMHAS psychiatric emergency services, affiliated psychiatric emergency services, and short term care facilities.

The registry also will be available to acute care and psychiatric hospital patients. All state psychiatric hospital patients are asked upon admission if they have a PAD, and one can be developed if they do not.

To learn more or to sign up for the registry, go to:

https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/dmhas/resources/mental/pad/