Emergency Detention of the Mentally Ill

Abstract

This article evaluates psychiatric patients' response to a procedural change in Pennsylvania's mental health law that extended the period of emergency detention from three to five days. Findings did not support the hypothesis that the proportion of emergency committed patients agreeing to voluntary hospitalization would increase post-amendment. Patients who did not consent to voluntary care within a few days of admission were unlikely to consent later. Their view of their illness and negative attitude toward hospitalization remained stable.

Mental Health Emergency Detentions and Access to Firearms

“…States determine the standards for civil commitments, which can be temporary emergency detentions or longer-term involuntary commitments. 2 An emergency detention refers to a short-term (typically 24 to 72 hours) involuntary hospitalization, during which an individual receives psychiatric care. 3 These detentions occur to prevent an individual from imminently harming himself or others, and they provide an opportunity for mental health professionals to conduct an assessment and determine the need for ongoing psychiatric care.…”