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Involuntary Hospitalization

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Legal Issues in Mental Health Care

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Abstract

Admission to a mental health facility is often a complex and cumbersome process, particularly when the person is not entering the hospital voluntarily. This chapter will describe the various admission criteria and the rights of a mentally disabled person when civil commitment procedures are contemplated. The chapter articulates the legal theory which permits the state to involuntarily hospitalize someone. The requirements set forth by the statutes to accomplish this action are also explained. The clinical issues which arise in determining when someone meets civil commitment criteria and the expectations of the mental health professional during the process of seeking hospitalization are presented. An appendix is included to illustrate the key features of laws related to the hospitalization of the mentally ill.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Weiner and Eglit, Ltd., Highland Park, Illinois, USA

    Barbara A. Weiner J.D.

  2. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Robert M. Wettstein M.D.

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  1. Barbara A. Weiner J.D.
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  2. Robert M. Wettstein M.D.
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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Weiner, B.A., Wettstein, R.M. (1993). Involuntary Hospitalization. In: Legal Issues in Mental Health Care. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1654-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1654-9_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1656-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1654-9

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