Assessing Harm Potential

Abstract

Harm potential is the interplay between an client’s functional capacity and the risks associated with the environment in which he lives. Capacity includes both decisional and functional capacity. Decisional capacity or cognitive capacity reflects the cognitive ability of an individual to make choices that reflect an understanding and appreciation of the nature and consequences of his actions. Clients with adequate decisional capacity are able to receive and understand information and to formulate a decision based on that understanding. Functional capacity includes decisional capacity but also includes the physical, psychological, and social capacity of the client as evaluated within the environment in which he lives. For example, a client may have adequate decisional capacity but unable, for a variety of reasons, to live independently and safely in his home. Therefore, functional capacity reflects a broader concept and some clients may have poor functional capacity but intact decisional capacity. This is often the case for clients with a severe hoarding problem.