StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Dangers of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment for Patients with Mental Illness - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
This research paper "Dangers of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment for Patients with Mental Illness" discusses the rehabilitation of mentally ill individuals in a legal and practical way. As a result, such programs designed for rehabilitation have long-term life improvement of the participants…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.5% of users find it useful
Dangers of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment for Patients with Mental Illness
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Dangers of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment for Patients with Mental Illness"

? The practical and Legal Dangers of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment for patients with Mental Illness Wanda Stewart January 19, Augusta Technical College Associate Degree Nursing Program Introduction In the past few years, most of the policy makers have begun to raise their views of the need to reconsider the involuntary outpatient commitment. This is so because of the need to enhance safety to the public, and provide the necessary mental health service to the non-compliant individuals. In most cases, individuals who have mental challenges and are outpatient can pose a threat to the society or community. Such threats are practical and legal tough because they may be involuntary. In addition, outpatient commitment can hinder offering voluntary services and discourage people from using mental health care services. When people fear to acquire services from mental health care centers, stigma precedes. Therefore, it is necessary to develop legal ways of handling this issue other than the voluntary therapeutic models (Levkowitch, Weiser, Levy and Neumann, 2001). Objectives This paper aims at analyzing practical and legal dangers associated with involuntary outpatient commitment. This is important because of the dangers and stigma that are associated with individuals diagnosed with mental illness. Therefore, this paper will attempt to scrutinize this in details and identify the practical and legal actions to be done, so that these issues are dealt with completely. Literature review Outpatient commitment refers to employed strategy or mechanism of dealing with or compelling a mentally ill person. This aims at encouraging this people to comply with the psychotropic drugs and the ordered treatment as a strategy of living in the community. In this case it is always important for diagnosed individuals undergo frequent blood and urine test, attend self-help group meetings, as well as enter psychotherapy with specific therapist. At times, condition demands orders are prolonged to enable the target issue to be met. Individuals currently considered to be dangerous, do not qualify to be our patients but rather in-patient. This is important because such people can be dangerous to the community. As a result, it is essential to restrict them so that their handling can be easy. Most of the outpatient supporters claim that this strategy is gentler and kind compared to alternative of inpatient commitment. They claim that this will help to reduce threats that arise from involuntary hospitalization. In this case, the targeted individuals are those who have mental illness. However, outpatient commitment will require an individual with pain of entering police custody to undergo re-hospitalization, comply with decisions for treatment and prove no danger to the community. These are compatible with the law, and at the same time help enhance safety to the community at large. The first law relating with outpatient was enacted during the early 1980s. As a result, over 40 states now have this law in books. About 20 states out of 40 invoke the law most infrequently because of the reluctance of the service providers’ participation and lack of the community-based service (Sinaiko and McGuire, 2008). According to many scholars, the main issue of concern is whether the outpatient commitment will be able to achieve its objectives. Existing claims say that this may not increase public safety enormously. They state that in our society most of the violence results in issues different from mental illness. They claim that only few people are dangerous to others and to themselves due to mental illness. In addition, most of them have gone to an extent of committing criminal offences. According to the law, it is important to seek involuntary hospitalization in emergency cases of violence from mentally ill individuals. There exist only few evidences supporting the fact that outpatient commitment will make the public and diagnosed individuals safer. According to the requirements of majority of scholars, it is necessary to incorporate innovative treatment, such as peer outreach to work in line with outpatient commitment. They believe that this is more likely to be successful, as it will intensify outreach compared with court orders (Swanson, Swartz, Elbogen, Wagner and Burns, 2003). Methodology In research, one can use several options. It can be secondary or primary methods. The primary methods of research involve collection of information firsthand from the field. This can be a usage of questionnaires, interviews and observation. Questionnaires involve a set of questions regarding an issue under research to be filled by the sample population. Interview is either direct or indirect interrogation of the sample population by an interviewer. Observation refers to monitoring and viewing of an event that happened. Secondary methods of research, on the other hand, refer to collection of information recorded in books, journals, magazines, articles or in electronic database among other secondary sources. This recorded information was from the research which was done earlier by various scholars and kept in records. In this paper, research will be done by using secondary sources of information. As a result, information was specifically from records existing in electronic database. Results and Discussion There were varying explanations regarding the policy makers’ requirements regarding outpatient commitment. Some individuals claim that it will not be so effective compared to current approach of mentally ill individuals. In the study, there was a comparison between those who were the subjects of outpatient commitment and those who were offered the same intensive services. It was clear that there were no great improvements in the patients’ compliance with the treatment. In addition, there was no increase in continuation of treatment (Swanson, Swartz, George, Burns, Hiday, Borum and Wagner, 2001). The rate of hospitalization of mentally ill individuals did not change. It was also noted that the rate of arrest, hospital stay and violation rate of the violent act did not change. In addition, researchers found out that outpatient commitment did not have clear benefits on an individual, unless he or she was in retention for at least six months and after that accompanied by high intensity support and community service. They stated that this benefited only few individuals. From the results, most of the people who engage in violence are not mentally ill. It is clear that over 60% of those who engage in violence are individuals who have their own issues other than mental illness. The other 40% who engage in violence are said to be mentally ill (Ridgely, Borum and Petrila, 2000). However, it is worth nothing, despite the fact that there are few mentally ill individuals who end up committing criminal offences. Recommendation It is necessary that policy makers consider reviewing the research literature which states that the outpatient commitment has no benefit compared with existing one. Instead, attempts are necessary to improve services provided. This will, in turn, lead to increase in the resultant benefits. It is also necessary to enhance and coordinate mental health services offered. In this way it will be possible to affect the consumers’ outcome and the outcome of the entire public. Conclusion In my opinion, based on the results from the research, it is clear that attempts are to ensure rehabilitation of the mentally ill individuals in a legal and practical way. As a result, such programs designed for rehabilitation have long-term life improvement of the participants. Although in the end the results are positive, it takes a long time for the participants to have an impact. Therefore, in my option the greatest question that remains dominant in my mind is whether it is a good and effective method of helping mentally ill individuals. In addition, outpatient commitment in its objectives appears shortsighted which may undermine long term treatment of alliances. This is so because I strongly believe that laid efforts aiming at improving mental health system of the public. References Levkowitch, Y., Weiser, M., Levy, A. & Neumann, M. (2001). Involuntary outpatient commitment: ethical and legal aspects. Retrieved on 19 January, 2012, from http://www.mendeley.com/research/involuntary-outpatient-commitment-ethical-legal-aspects/ Ridgely, S. Borum, R. & Petrila, J. (2000). Does Involuntary Outpatient Treatment Work? Retrieved on 19 January, 2012, from http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB4537/index1.html Sinaiko, A.D. & McGuire, T.G. (2008). Patient Inducement, Provider Priorities, and Resource Allocation in Public Mental Health Systems. Retrieved on 19 January, 2012, from http://jhppl.dukejournals.org/content/31/6/1075.abstract Swanson, J. W., Swartz, M. S., George, L. K., Burns, B. J., Hiday, V. A., Borum, R. & Wagner, H. R. (2001). Effectiveness of involuntary outpatient commitment. Retrieved on 19 January, 2012, from http://www.mendeley.com/research/effectiveness-involuntary-outpatient-commitment/ Swanson, J.W., Swartz, M.S., Elbogen, E.B., Wagner, H. R. & Burns, B. J. (2003). Effects of involuntary outpatient commitment on subjective quality of life in persons with severe mental illness. Retrieved on 19 January, 2012, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bsl.548/abstract Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Practical and Legal Dangers of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment Research Paper”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/nursing/1441490-the-practical-and-legal-dangers-of-involuntary
(The Practical and Legal Dangers of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment Research Paper)
https://studentshare.org/nursing/1441490-the-practical-and-legal-dangers-of-involuntary.
“The Practical and Legal Dangers of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment Research Paper”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/nursing/1441490-the-practical-and-legal-dangers-of-involuntary.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Dangers of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment for Patients with Mental Illness

Forced Medication in Mental Health in Canada

This makes it particularly crucial to take into account the ethical or moral repercussions of involuntary treatment or forced medication of those with mental disorders.... This essay "Forced Medication in mental Health in Canada" is about moral and ethical issues of forced medication in mental health care and the inconsistency and contradiction between forced medication or involuntary treatment and components of professional ethical guidelines....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

The Mentally Ill

The article proposed involuntary outpatient commitment with therapeutic jurisdiction as one possible solution for psychiatric recidivism in the community.... The article also emphasized that clinicians find it hard to discharge patients and are often put in a dilemma whether the discharge decision will benefit the patient or will end up in a relapse of chronic mental illness.... In patients with chronic mental illness, therapeutic jurisprudence preferred a discharge plan that maximizes convergence between self-determination, individual well-being, and public safety through integration of risk assessment technology and effective rehabilitative treatment, particularly contingency management....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

New York State Mental Hygiene Law - the Need for Involuntary Medication

The paper "New York State Mental Hygiene Law - the Need for Involuntary Medication" states that the use of involuntary treatment for patients with serious mental illness is an important option that must therefore be made available in the delivery of mental health services.... Generally speaking, in recent years, mental illness has taken on a more notable position in the health care system.... t present, the negative stigma has been questioned by health professionals who argue that mental illness does not necessarily imply an inability to make sound decisions....
11 Pages (2750 words) Research Paper

Involuntary Detention of Patients Suffering from Mental Health Disorders

There is an increasing interest in an international code of ethics and set of standards for the use of State and professional power to care for individuals with mental illness (Belkin, 2004).... In certain situations, people with a mental illness can be forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital or institution against their will (Goldbeck & Mackenzie, 1997).... In recent years there has been a marked increase in the proportion of individuals with mental disorders detained in hospital involuntarily, compared to those admitted on an informal basis....
15 Pages (3750 words) Essay

Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System

There is a critical need for alternatives regarding mental illness and the need to shift the responsibility of untreated mental illness out of the criminal justice system, states Faust (p.... United States jails and prisons have started to become psychiatric hospitals....
20 Pages (5000 words) Essay

Outpatient civil commitment

t is worth noting that when a patient is suffering from a severe mental illness that evidently affects his or her perception of reality, the patient in most cases has lost the ability to make decisions based in his or her best interest.... Clinicians are also bound by their professional obligations to help patients; doctors are required to provide patients with services that are geared towards benefiting them (Schopp, 2003).... However, in other cases involving, for instance, patients with eating disorders, substance abuse disorders, and personality disorders which necessarily affect the patients ability to make decision, factoring in of the ethical obligations can be a very difficult task (Schopp, 2003)....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

How Medication Compliance Affect Schizophrenia in Male Involuntary Patients

This article "How Medication Compliance Affect Schizophrenia in Male Involuntary patients" focuses on compliance to medication that has remained a stabling block on the way to involuntary treatment of schizophrenic patients.... Specific highlight to male patients points out resistance.... Compliance is a deliberate process by patients to follow prescriptions from health professionals in the route to discovery.... It has a connection with the ability of patients to recover....
12 Pages (3000 words) Article

Forced Medication in Mental Health

This makes it particularly crucial to take into account the ethical or moral repercussions of involuntary treatment or forced medication of those with mental disorders.... This essay "Forced Medication in mental Health" is about the only medical specialty that includes coerced, involuntary treatment.... mental health care practitioners adhere to their needs and demands unless patients are a threat to others or themselves.... Yet others argue that taking a stand in this debate draws away from the attention of mental health professionals from more crucial issues about the quality of mental health services....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us