Ment

alI
llnes
s
DEFINITI
ONONE:I ntermsoftheCommonlaw,amentall
yillp
ersoniss
omeonewhoisber
eft
andcannolongergras
pt hec
onsequenc
esofthei
ract
s ,theytheref
orecannotmake
rati
onald
ecisi
ons.

Ament
all
yil
lper
sonhasnol
egalc
apac
ityt
oac
torl
iti
gat
e.

DEFINITIONTWO:
InLangevLange,t heAppel
lateDiv
isi
onheldt hatapersonismentall
yil
lif
:
a)Theyc annotunderst
andt henatureoft hetrans
ac t
ioninquesti
on;or
b) Apersonthatunderstandstheconsequencesofhis/herjur
isti
cactsb
uti
smot
ivat
ed
andinfl
uencedbydel
us i
ons.

Thec
our
tof
tenl
ooksatmot
ivat
ionoft
hep
ers
onwhohasc
ommi
ttedani
ll
egalac
t

 Luci
dinterval
um–apersoncoul
dbesai
dtohaveluci
dint
erval
sinp
eriodsonly,i
tis
notpermanentsowhentheyareofs
oundmindtheyareval
idt
oenterintolegal
proc
eedingsoragr
eements.

Pr
ovi
ngMent
alI
llnes
sinCour
t
 Provi
ngmentali
ll
nessisaquesti
onoff ac
tandi tmus tb
edeter mi
nedonabalanceof
prob
abil
it
ies.
 Thecourtsusemedi
calevi
denc
eb utmays ti
llexerci
sedi
scret
ionwithcons
ideri
ngevi
denc
e,
howeveronmostoccasi
onsamedicalop
inionc ar
riesmuchweight.

Pr
esumpt
ion
 I
fap ers
onhasb eencert
ifi
ed(dec
laredbyapsychi
atri
storinst
ituti
onal
ised)asmental
lyi
ll
,
t
hereisar ebut
tabl
epresumpt
ionthattheyar
ement all
yil
l.Torebutthi
s,thepersonmust
p
rov
et heirsani
tyatthetimeoftheacttheycommitt
ed.

Capac
iti
es
 Ament all
yil
lpers
onhasnoc ap ac
itytoac tortoli
tigateandther ef
orehasnolocusstandi
 Theycannotenterlegalproceedi
ngs,eveniftheyar eassi
sted.Theyc anonl
yhaveac urator
actonb ehal
fofthem.
 Whereami normayb eass
istedinlegalproceed
ings,mentall
yillpeopl
eandinfantscannotbe
assi
sted,astheyhavenound erstandi
ngofwhati shappening.Thereforeamentall
yillper
s on
wil
lhaveac urat
orwhoac tsonBEHALFoft heperson.

Exampl
es
Mar
riage(
wher
eones
pous
eisment
all
yil
l)
 Amar ri
ageisnotaut omatic
all
yd i
ssolvedb yoneofthespouses,howeverintermsoft he
DivorceAc t70of1979,ment alil
lnessf orwhichtherei
snor easonabl
ecurei sagroundfor
div
or ce.
 Inc ommuni t
yofp ropert
y:Thes anes pousemaymakeanap p
licati
ontothec ourtt
os uspend
thep owersoft heotherpersont oacces sthei
rhalfoftheestate,orad i
vis
ionoft heestat
e
couldoc c
urb uttheremus tbenop rejudice.

Par
ent
alAut
hor
ity
  Mentali
ll
nessdoesnott ermi
nateparent
alauthorit
y.
 Insuchcases,t
hec ourtassert
sitsel
fastheupperguard
ianoftheminor(
s)inques
tionsand
soitdec
idesguardi
anship.Cust
odyandaccessaccordi
ngt
ot heb
estinter
estsofthechil
dand
thefact
sathand .

Cur
ator
s
 IntermsoftheCommonlaw,theHighCourtap
poi
ntsacurat
ort
oseet
otheaf
fai
rsoft
he
pers
on.
 Therearethreet
ypesofcurator
sthatcanbeapp
oint
ed:

Cur
atorb
oni
s
 Looksaftertheprop
ertyoft
hementall
yil
lper
sonandsup
plement
st hel
ackofcapaci
tytoac
t.
 Ifap er
sonisluc
idhe/s
hewil
lseet
ot hei
rownaffai
rsi
nthet i
methattheyarecapab
le.

Cur
atoradl
item
 Ac
tsonament
all
yil
lper
son’
sbehal
finl
egalp
roc
eed
ings

Cur
atorper
sonae
 Thec uratorpers onaelooksafterthebodyofament al
lyil
lpers
on,eithergeneral
lyorfora
speci
f i
cp rocedure,s uc
hasd eci
dingonap p
rop r
iatemed ic
ine,abor
tion,operati
onsand
euthanas i
a.
 Thisisahi ghlyseriousposit
ionsoitisnottakenl i
ght l
yasitinterf
ereswi t
hap ersonsr
ight
todignity,p r
ivacyandf reedom.Itisusuall
yonlyd onewhenap ersoniscomp l
etel
yincap
able
ofmaki ngd ecis
ionsandi sendangeri
nghim/ hersel
f.

Li
mit
ati
onsonCur
ator
s
1) Inst
itutedi
vorcep r
oceedi
ngs
2) Makewill
sonb ehal
foft heper
s on;or
3) Exerci
separentalauthori
tyovertheper
son’
schi
ldr
en.

CASE:Pr
ins
loo’
sCur
atorBoni
svCr
aff
ordandPr
ins
loo(
1905)
 LegalQues tion:Whatwast heor deroft heef f ec tdeclaringPr insl
oot ob eofuns oundmi nd ?
Thev alidityoft hemar r i
ager el i
esont hes ani tyofMrPr ins looatt hed at eofmar riage,s owas
heorwashenotofs oundmi ndatt hatt i
me?
 Fac ts:Thep laintiffss oughtt ohav ethemar riaged eclarednul landv oid,ort os eti tas i
des o
farast onotaf fectt hep r op er tyofPr ins l
oo,howev ert hed efend antas kedt hec our tto
declar edt hemar riagev alidandi nc ommuni t y,andt od eclar eherhus bandofs oundmi nd,and
sot oal soremov et hec urat orsboni s.
 Thep laintiffsint hisc as ewer et hec ur at orsofaman,Pr ins loo,whohadb eenmar riedtoa
woman( mai dennameCr af for d )in1905,howev er2year sear lierhehadb eend ecalredof
“uns oundmi nd ”byt heWLDandhehadac urat orboni st oov er seehisp rop er ty.Themar riage
wasi nc ommuni t
yofp r op er tyandhadt akenp laced uringal uc idinter val,s oitwasv ali
das
durings uc hani nter valal unat icmays t il
lc ont rac tandt husmar ry.
 Tot hef irstques tion,whatwast heef f ectoft heor derd ec laringPr i
nsloot ob eofuns ound
mind ,i twast ochangehi ss tat usandmakehi munf i
tt oent eri ntoc ontr acts.Top rovet hat
themar riagewasi nd eedv oidi thadt ob ep rov edt hatPr i
ns loowass aneatt hed at eof
mar riage.
 Ther ei sap resump tiont hati fap er s
onhasb eend ecl
ar edi ns aneori nstitut i
onal isedt hent hat
statusr emai nsunt i
lt heyar ed ec laredot herwi s e(byac our tofl aw),andt heonusofp r
ov i
ng
sanityi sont hep er son:Pr ins loowasf oundb yt woot herd oc tor stob es aneandnott obean
imbec ileori ncomp et enti nanymanner ,andl et ter sthathehadwr ittent ohiswi f eb efore
theirmar ri
agewer e“ s ens ib l
e,wel l
-wr itten”and“ well
-exp res sed”andt heyc l
ear l
ys howed
thet hought sofamanofs oundmi nd.
 Res ult :AlthoughPr ins loowasment all
yi l
l,itwasf oundt hathewasexp erienc ingal ucid
interv alandt heref or ef oundt ob eofs oundmi ndatt het imeoft hep r
oc eed i
ngsandatt he
 t
imeofthemarr
iage,s
ot hemar
riagewasd
ecl
aredv
ali
dandi
ncommuni
tyofp
rop
ert
y,and
t
hecurator
swereremoved.

CASE:ExPar
teDi
xie(
1950)
 LegalQues ti
on:
 Facts:Aman,Fr ederickDixie,hadb eeninsti
t utionali
sedadf oundt ob esuf feringf or m
paranoidschizop hrenia,aft eranalys isbytwomed icaldoct
ors ,anditwasc onsequent l
y
determinedthathewasi ncap abl
eofmanagi nghi sownaf fairs,t herewasal sonop ros pectof
himbeingr estor edt oment alhealth.Theap pl
icat i
onwasf oranor dert od i
videt hej oint
estateandf orac urat orboni stob eap poi
nted ,ast hewifehadt osup porthersel fandt wo
chi
ldrenands ai
dt hatMrDi xiewasunab l
etod os o.
 Result:Theap p
licat i
onf ort hed i
visionofthees tatewasr efusedast hereis“ noaut hor i
ty
fordivis
ionoft hej ointestat ebyr eas onofins anit
yofoneoft hesp ouses”ast he“ lawd oes
notallowit”,unl essi twoulds ub
stant ial
lyprejud i
cet heotherp artyandi nt hisc asei twould
not.

CASE:LangevLange(
1945)
 LegalQues ti
on:WasMrLanges uf fer i
ngf r
omment alil
lnessat het imeofmar r
iageorwasi ta
luci
dinterval
?
 Facts:Int hi
sc as e,amanmar riedawomanwhi les uffer i
ngf romament alcondition,causi
ng
himtohear“ imagi naryvoic es
”.Att het i
meoft hemar r
iage,heund erstoodt henat ureofthe
juri
sticactbutt hec ourthel dt hatt hemar ri
agewoul db enullandv oidonac countofhi s
mentalill
ness.Theap pel
lantist hewi f
eoft hed efend antands hesuedhi mf oranor d
erto
decl
aret hemar r i
agenul landv oid.Hehadb eenad mittedt oaMent alHos pit
alandwass ti
ll
detai
nedd uringt hes ep r
oc eedings .I twasb elievedhehad“ dement ia”ashehear dv oi
cesand
hadhalluci
nat i
onsofs ight ,smel landt as
te.Ad octord ec l
aredhewasofuns oundmi nd
 Result:Itwasd et erminedt hathewasofuns oundmi ndatt het i
meoft hemar ri
aget herefore
wasnotawar eofwhathewasd oingandt hemar r
iagewast husd eclar
ednul landv oid.