Involuntary Drug Treatment for the Mentally Ill

Sometimes it is necessary to treat mentally ill people who are unable to treat themselves. There are a number of rules that must be followed when treating mentally ill patients who did not volunteer for treatment. Not all mentally ill patients will qualify for treatment.

Mental Illness

• Mental illness is a disorder that impairs judgment to the point where a person cannot recognize reality. If someone is mentally ill, she will be unable to handle ordinary life demands.

Danger

• A mentally ill person may qualify for involuntary drug treatment if he can be considered dangerous, meaning he could cause harm to himself or others.

Basic Needs

• If a person cannot attend to her basic needs, she may qualify for involuntary drug treatment. For example, a person must be able to provide himself with food, clothing and shelter.

Treatment

• If a person is unaware that she needs treatment, she may require drugs. Especially if the lack of treatment could result in the harm of the patient or others, she needs to be treated.

Protective Custody

• If a police officer sees someone acting out in a way that indicates he requires treatment, the police officer may take him to a hospital. In this case, the police do not have to have a pick-up order.