Involuntary commitment

the intention of ending the life of another person in order to relieve that person’s suffering. There are several types of euthanasia: voluntary, involuntary, active and inactive euthanasia. When a patient is given informed consent to a harmful injection, the term voluntary euthanasia is used; when they have not done so, it is indicated as involuntary euthanasia. Active euthanasia occurs when someone performs an action that results in the death of the patient. Thus, one understands stands active…

Influx of mentally unstable, homeless people into the streets of Manhattan in the 80’s, led to the inception of New York city’s Project Help. The main aim of Project Help was to assist needy, homeless people, which was met with resistance. The ideology behind this project is not something new, as it saw a beginning with Hippocrates, Plato, and Galen who held the belief that mental disorders had natural causes. Such naturalistic approach was abandoned in the middle ages, substituting it for…

Involuntary Commitment: The Ethical Problem towards Involuntary Psychiatric Care Introduction Many people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness often has a distorted perception of reality and have lost their ability to make a decision towards their best interest. This perceptual distortion can interfere with an individual’s function so severely to an extent where medical intervention is necessary and because of this distortion, a centralized idea developed that those with a mental…

Since more than 90% of psychiatric hospital bed that existed in 1960 are now gone, state's haven't taken the opportunity to treat the severely mentally ill. Involuntary commitment is the process in which someone with a mental illness can be forced against their will into a psychiatric hospital or institution. Though each state has a different law according to the process, they all have the same general idea. For example…

The attitudes and beliefs of mental illnesses are shaped by personal knowledge about mental illness. Knowing in interacting with someone living with mental illness, can shape cultural stereotypes. Mental illness has a history of misunderstanding, stigmatizing, and discriminating against people with mental illness. All of these factors are still present even in educated societies and could be reduced by educating and informing their communities about mental illness. Mental health issues are…

Since the age of six, Michael Megginson has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals. He has a family history of mental illness and the co-occurring substance abuse problems. His father was also mentally ill and his mother wasn’t around so Megginson lived with his great-grandmother. His mental illness escalated when his great-grandmother passed away and he was admitted to the Bronx Children’s Psychiatric Center several times during his childhood. At age 19, he attacked his mother which landed…

The treatment of those who are vulnerable is infinitely telling about the values a country holds. The rapid decline of mental health institutions in the United States can be correlated to the rise in prison population and homelessness. America is a country with such advanced medical technology and supposed equal opportunity, and this would lead one to believe extensive resources are being poured into treatment and protection for those with mental illnesses, but this is not the case. With a…

4: The MMPI-2 as a Predictor of Violence among Sexually Violent Predators Introduction The release rate of sexually violent predators (SVPs) from psychiatric hospitals is extremely low; it is almost nonexistent. The ongoing controversy of civil commitment laws among SVPs indicates a need for further research in the areas of diagnosis, treatment, and policy. This paper looks at the violent behavior of sexually violent predators and attempts to identify personality traits measured by a widely…

Involuntary clients are often resistant to treatment and the level of trust between the psychiatrist and client seems tenuous at best. The necessity of commitment hearings creates an additional obstacle to clinical work. Several patients have “flipped out” and needed medical restraints after receiving a status of continued commitment from the judge. Sheehan & Burns (2011) during a study showed that there was a positive…

The selection of the highly effective teachers is vital to the success of a school. In order for a school to be more effective, it has to be staffed with the right people who understand the mission and vision of the school as well as understand the importance of continuous growth. To improve teaching and learning, highly effective principals realize the importance of surrounding themselves with highly effective teachers who have a desire to do the job well. Fink and Resnick (2001) asserts,…