| When things get bad, when they won't listen to | | | | involuntary confinement, and too many people who |
| reason and when their substance abuse is obviously | | | | did require immediate intervention were not |
| causing them great harm, can you have them | | | | compelled to get it, and too many tragedies occurred |
| involuntarily committed for their own good? | | | | as a direct result. |
| It depends. | | | | A couple of decades ago, government started to |
| Firstly, the law regarding involuntary commitment | | | | move back towards making it easier to commit a |
| varies by state and eligibility equipments will differ, | | | | relative, temporarily, but the burden of proof remains |
| but in general, all states do allow for involuntary | | | | very high, and individual rights to freedom are very |
| treatment under certain extreme and urgent | | | | respected. |
| situations. | | | | Contact the State or County Court Office |
| In most cases, the person in question will need to | | | | If you have a relative or loved one that you feel is in |
| present with recent behaviors that clearly show that | | | | desperate and immediate need of temporary |
| they demonstrate an immediate danger to harm | | | | psychiatric or substance abuse care, and you cannot |
| themselves or harm others. If they are neglectful to | | | | compel them to receive this care, you may be able |
| their basic needs to an extent that puts them in | | | | to get the state to intervene and compel a limited |
| immediate harms way, and these needs cannot be | | | | period of treatment. You must be able to prove that |
| met by family, then the state may also intervene. | | | | their recent behaviors show a pattern that indicate a |
| It used to be easy...too easy | | | | danger to self or others and you must be able to |
| Historically, it was quite easy to have a relative | | | | show that you cannot protect them. |
| committed for psychiatric treatment against their will; | | | | If you feel that you have a legitimate case for an |
| and for an indefinite period of time as well. A great | | | | involuntary commitment, you should contact the local |
| many people suffered unjust confinement under laws | | | | state or county court office mental health |
| that made it too easy for family to confine anyone | | | | department to find out how to proceed with the |
| on little justification, and in response to many abuses, | | | | initial request for an assessment. |
| state and federal laws moved greatly to protect | | | | You love them, you just want to see them get |
| individual civil rights. | | | | better and keep them safe, but their rights are |
| Starting in the second half of the last century, laws | | | | considered paramount to your concern, and in most |
| got progressively tighter, and it became very difficult | | | | cases, you will not be able to have someone |
| to mandate treatment for anyone. In retrospect, the | | | | committed. |
| laws probably moved too far away from needed | | | | |