Reply #129: If you commit a crime because of a mental illness [View All]

you need treatment. You should be in treatment until you get well. That is a different situation then involuntary detention. Say, for instance, a mother kills her children because of post-partum psychosis. She would be tried, and if found legally insane (which is a legal term that has much stricter parameters than the definition "mentally ill") she might be confined to a psychiatric hospital specializing in the treatment of those who have committed crimes. For instance, John Hinkley is in one such place.

As far as involuntary hospitalization goes, I stand by my assertion that is difficult to do, at least in my state. If someone is a danger to themselves or others, as determined by a trained mental health professional, and is REFUSING treatment, they can be detained for 72 hours for observation. After the 72 hours, it must be proven in a court of law that this person should be kept for longer. Usually, they are released on a less restrictive order.