Involuntary Hospitalization: What For and How Long?

Abstract

In spite of much criticism of the practice of involuntary hospitalization for mental illness, specific data on the practice are lacking. This study examined the data on all involuntarily hospitalized patients (N = 226) discharged from Sacramento Medical Center in 1971. The results showed that the median length of involuntary stay was short (three days), the majority of patients accepted a recommendation for voluntary outpatient treatment, and lengthy involuntary treatment was rarely needed. In California the civil rights of such patients are protected by a system of periodic review of each case by the courts.