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Non compos mentis means “not sane” and refers to someone who cannot be held legally responsible due to mental incompetence. This can be caused by developmental disabilities, mental illness, intoxication, or illness leading to altered consciousness. In law, non compos mentis individuals cannot be held responsible for contracts or wills. Medical care may require surrogates for non compos mentis patients. Experts may be consulted to determine sanity. Non compos mentis can be temporary, and actions taken during periods of sanity are still accountable.
The Latin phrase “non compos mentis” translates as “not sane”. This term is used to refer to someone who cannot be held legally responsible for something because they are not mentally competent. There are a number of things that can challenge mental competence.
One reason someone may be deemed non compos mentis is a severe developmental or intellectual disability that inhibits a person’s ability to understand a situation. Some forms of mental illness can also limit mental competence, as can temporary situations such as intoxication or illness leading to an altered level of consciousness. In all cases, it is clear that the person cannot make decisions due to an inability to understand.
In law, someone who is non compos mentis cannot be held responsible for contracts and other legal situations. Even if the person signed a contract voluntarily, lack of mental capacity would have meant that the individual did not understand the contract and should not be bound by it. Mental capacity is also a concern when verifying a will; if the author of a will is held to be non compos mentis, the will cannot stand trial because it was written by someone who did not know what he was doing.
This problem can also arise in medical care. Doctors sometimes have to appoint surrogates for patients who are clearly incapable of making their own decisions, and in some cases patients can make arrangements in advance to have someone represent their wishes in the event of incapacity. A non compos mentis patient may be forced to accept treatment with the argument that the patient does not understand the situation or does not realize the potential consequences of refusing treatment.
To determine if someone is sane, a psychiatrist or psychologist may be called in for an examination. An expert in a medical condition may also be consulted. For example, if a patient has a brain tumor that appears to impair judgment, a neurologist might be asked to testify about whether or not the patient has the ability to understand and make decisions.
The state of non compos mentis can be temporary. If it is temporary, the person will be held accountable for actions taken during the time periods when the individual was sane. For example, if someone was seriously ill and unable to make medical decisions but then recovered and made a will during the period of recovery, the will would be deemed valid because the patient was sane when it was written.
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