Can We Force the Addict Into Treatment?

Occasionally, I'll get the call where a relative asks if you have a procedure to forcibly send an individual into treatment. Some families will ask if you have a way to simply restrain the addict, throw him in the trunk of a van, and haul him off to treatment. While I certainly understand the frustrations involved in living with an addict and the never- ending requests to get them help (that typically fall on deaf ears), most of the time, the answer is no. You can't kidnap an addict and force treatment upon him.

The best solution is definitely an alcohol or drug intervention. However, any seasoned intervention specialist will tell you there are no guarantees when it comes to interventions. The addict really has the proper to reject treatment. Typically, it's still advisable to move forward with the intervention. The household will at least have had the opportunity to get together as a group, provide an answer (treatment), and, God forbid, if something bad does befall the addict (further health complications, loss in job, jail, etc.) the family can feel a small amount of comfort by knowing each of them got together, did the best job they may and offered the gift of treatment. Additionally, the seed will have been planted in the addict's mind that a solution can be acquired with the family waiting in the wings to supply support throughout the recovery process.

The alcohol intervention or drug intervention offers still another method to strongly suggest accepting the gift of treatment. To the extent it can be acquired within the framework of family or friends, leverage can be used to persuade the addict to just accept help. Addicts often view leverage as a means of forcing treatment upon them, but that is not really true. With leverage, the addict really has the proper to reject treatment. Caused by such rejection, however, comes with consequences.

For example, an employer may attend the alcohol intervention of an addicted employee. If the employee resists treatment, as a final resort, the employer may produce a boundary wherein if the addict continues to resist treatment he will lose his job. Realize that in this example the addict still has a choice. He is able to resist treatment and continue drinking. If he does, however callcriteria, he will are in possession of to manage the consequence of job termination. This type of leverage could be a powerful tool in not just "persuading" the addict into treatment, but also in eliminating the enabling and, perhaps most importantly, creating healthy boundaries for those friends and household members of the addict.

California does enable an involuntary psychiatric evaluation, commonly known as a 5150, having an eye toward obtaining some amount of short-term medical treatment through the mandatory hold. The 5150 process has specific criteria and is no easy undertaking, particularly if you are coping with a reluctant participant to the procedure process.

The California Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 5150 is an application for involuntary admission for 72 hours from enough time the declaration is written. WIC 5150 isn't itself an immediate admission form and does not of itself authorize the involuntary admission; it merely gets the individual to the door. Then, as described in WIC 5151: Prior to admitting an individual to the facility, the professional person responsible for the facility or their designee shall assess the individual face-to-face to ascertain the appropriateness of the involuntary detention. During the time scale of confinement, a confined individual is evaluated by a mental health professional to ascertain if your psychiatric admission is warranted. Confinement and evaluation usually occurs in a county mental health hospital or in a designated er facility. If the individual is then admitted to a psychiatric unit, merely a psychiatrist may rescind the 5150 and allow the person to either remain voluntarily or be discharged.

On or previous to the expiration of the 72 hours, the psychiatrist must assess the person to see should they still meet criteria for hospitalization. If so, the person might be offered a voluntary admission. If it is refused, then another hold for 14 days might be applied for.

The criteria for a 5150 hold requires probable cause. This includes danger to self, danger to others together with some indication, before the administering of the hold, of apparent symptoms of a mental disorder, and/or grave disability. The conditions must exist underneath the context of a mental illness and the person must be refusing psychiatric treatment.