Definition reprinted with permission from Committee on Psychiatry and Law, of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry: The Mental Health Professional and the Legal System
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competence
The legal recognition of an individual's ability to perform a task. The concept is not applied globally. Rather, it is directed at a specific category of demands, such as competence to assist counsel in preparing a defense, competence to manage financial affairs, or competence to give informed consent in legal or medical matters.