A conservatorship is a legal relationship where one person (the “conservator”) has the authority to make decisions for another person (the “ward”). In the case of a mental health conservatorship, this means that you have been found to have mental illness and your rights have been taken away from you.
A guardian is someone who has been appointed by a court to take care of another person’s finances or property when there is no other responsible family member available. A guardian has limited power compared with a conservator; for example, only certain financial transactions require approval from both parties before they can be executed by one party alone–usually the guardian but sometimes also including others involved in decision-making such as doctors or therapists.