Exposing the myths surrounding preventive outpatient commitment for individuals with chronic mental illness

Bibliographic Data

ID12434043
AuthorsJohn Cornwell (Education Law Center, corresponding author), John Kip Cornwell, Raymond Deeney
Year2003
Volume9
Issue1-2
Pages209-232
Publication date2003-03-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychology Public Policy and Law (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1076-8971 • E-ISSN: 1939-1528
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1037/1076-8971.9.1-2.209
PMID16700142
OpenAlexW2081311380
LanguageEN
Citations received5

Using New York's "Kendra's Law" as an illustrative vehicle, this article addresses the principal criticisms lodged by opponents of preventive outpatient commitment. The authors argue that preventive outpatient commitment is a useful adjunct to conditional release or placement in the least restrictive alternative that has neither produced revolutionary change in psychiatric commitment standards nor will be used inappropriately to assert governmental control over mentally ill citizens. The authors contend additionally that preventive outpatient commitment does not violate federal constitutional norms or represent bad policy making. The authors acknowledge, however, that the coercion inherent in outpatient commitment schemes may produce certain undesirable side effects. Thus, they explore an alternative approach currently in development in Australia that promotes community-based treatment for chronically mentally ill persons without judicial intervention

Coercion (linguistics · Computer security · Intervention (counseling · Mental health · Mental illness · Mentally ill · Mythology · Principal (computer security · Psychiatry · Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints · Medicine · Mental Health and Patient Involvement · Psychiatric care and mental health services · Psychology

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