In a recent news story about SAD, Dr. Christine Gill of the U.K. is challenging the will of her late mother in which an inheritance of 2.3 million pounds was left to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Toward Animals (RSPCA). Gill claims that because her mother suffered with severe undiagnosed social phobia, she was mentally incapable of understanding the process of the will, and would have been coerced by her husband. Gill's mother could not be left alone in the house, and would not speak to strangers unless accompanied by someone that she knew.
Gill argues that she devoted and tailored her life to suit the needs of her parents and to work on their farm, turning down more lucrative careers in favor of working as a University lecturer. Had she known the estate would not be left to her, she would not have made these sacrifices. Gill claims that she was assured by her parents that the inheritance would be hers, and that she would not have to worry about money.
Do you think someone with social phobia could be mentally incapable of understanding their own will? I don't think this argument holds much water unless someone purposely tried to pull the wool over her eyes. The woman had an intense fear of strangers, but that doesn't render her mentally incompetent.