Involutary mental health hospital admissions in the US

Involuntary Mental Health Hospital Admissions in the U.S. Name: Institutional affiliation: Course: Date: What the Topic Means Involuntary commitment, also known as involuntary admission, refers to a forceful admission of a patient into a psychiatric hospital against his or her will. This exercise is only limited to persons considered to pose serious physical harm to themselves or other people. According to Mental Health America, involuntary commitment should never be imposed on someone based on the risk of non-physical harm (Mental Health America, 2024). It usually requires the assessment by the legal aid and a physician for the recommendation of an admission. History While the mentally ill individuals were supported by their families for many years before, post post-colonial era introduced psychiatric houses and jails where when not feasible, mentally ill persons were confined. In 1773, the first psychiatric hospitals were developed in Williamsburg, Virginia, which meant a formal transition to institutionalization. Following the First and Second World Wars, there was a high growth in the number of large state mental hospitals and many people were committed in those jails involuntarily. In the 1975 case, O’Connor v. Donaldson, the Supreme course held that t...