The Treatment Advocacy Center publishes excerpts and summaries of US civil commitment laws and standards as a service to lawmakers, mental health agencies, advocates, families, journalists and others seeking information about assisted treatment - the interventions for severe untreated mental illness made possible through court order.
The following three charts provide critical information for each state and the District of Columbia:
- "Assisted Psychiatric Treatment: Inpatient and Outpatient Standards by State" - essential information about laws governing court-ordered hospitalization (inpatient) and community treatment (often called "assisted outpatient treatment" or "AOT")
- "Emergency Hospitalization for Evaluation: Assisted Psychiatric Treatment Standards by State" - essential information about criteria for emergency hospitalization for psychiatric evaluation (also called "hold," "pick-up," "detention," "provisional hospitalization," "72-hour emergency admission" or other)
- "Initiating Court-Ordered Assisted Treatment: Inpatient, Outpatient and Emergency Hospitalization Standards by State"- essential information about who may initiate proceedings leading to court-ordered treatment for an individual with symptoms of severe mental illness
For the statutory language of each state’s standards, see “State Standards for Assisted Treatment – Civil Commitment Criteria for Psychiatric Inpatient or Outpatient Intervention by State.”
Each case is different. The information provided in these documents does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for seeking legal counsel.
