Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay.

Posted: November 9th, 2022

Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay.

You are a PMHNP working in a large intercity hospital. You receive a call from the answering service informing you that a “stat” consult has been ordered by one of the hospitalists in the ICU. Upon arriving in the ICU, you learn that your consult is a 14 year old male who overdosed on approximately 50 Benadryl (diphenhydramine hydrochloride) tablets in an apparent suicide attempt. At the scene, a suicide note was found indicating that he wanted to die because his girlfriend’s parents felt that their daughter was too young to be “dating.” The client stated in the suicide note that he could not “live without her” and decided to take his own life. Although he has been medically stabilized and admitted to the ICU, he has been refusing to talk with the doctors or nurses. Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay.The hospital staff was finally able to get in touch with the clients parents (using contact information retrieved from the 14 year old’s cell phone).

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Unbeknown to the hospital staff, the parents are divorced, and both showed up at the hospital at approximately the same time, each offering their own perspectives on what ought to be done. The client’s father is demanding that the client be hospitalized because of the suicide, but his mother points out that he does not have “physical custody” of the child. The client’s mother demands that the client be discharged to home with her stating that her son’s actions were nothing more than a “stunt” and “an attempt at manipulating the situation that he didn’t like.” The client’s mother then becomes “nasty” and informs you that she works as a member of the clerical staff for the state board of nursing, and if you fail to discharge her child “right now” she will make you “sorry.” How would you proceed? For the Assignment: Based on the scenario, would you recommend that the client be voluntarily committed? Why or why not? Based on the laws in your state (Mississippi), would the client be eligible for involuntary commitment? Explain why or why not. Did understanding the state laws confirm or challenge your initial recommendation regarding involuntarily committing the client? Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay.Explain. If the client were not eligible for involuntary commitment, explain what actions you may be able to take to support the parents for or against voluntary commitment. If the client were not eligible for involuntary commitment, explain what initial actions you may be able to take to begin treating the client. Should include introduction and summary

Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment

Introduction

Voluntary and involuntary commitment is a salient issue in mental health care. Individuals who have a mental health illness may be admitted to a psychiatric unit or hospital, or maybe involuntarily admitted and detained against their will. Involuntary commitment laws allow admission and detention of patients who pose danger to themselves or others, need treatment and cannot seek treatment voluntarily. This paper analyzes Mississippi state laws on voluntary and involuntary commitment and investigates a case to establish eligibility of a client for involuntary commitment.Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay.

Recommending the client for voluntary commitment

I would recommend the client to be voluntarily admitted into the hospital. Minors under the age of maybe voluntarily admitted by parents or voluntarily admit themselves but have the right to demand discharge. The client is suicidal and needs treatment due to drug overdose and an inpatient stay will enable mental health professionals to keep him under observation to prevent him from trying to commit suicide again. According to Sadock et al (2015), voluntary hospitalization necessitates patients to be mentally competent prior to voluntarily committing themselves or patients’ parents to apply in writing for hospitalization to a mental health hospital. Patients are admitted if an evaluation demonstrates that hospital treatment is needs. However, a patient has the right to demand discharge, even if it is against medical advice.

Eligibility of the client for involuntary commitment based on Mississippi state laws

Involuntary commitment laws permit the state to detain and treat an individual who is mentally ill without consent. As Halter (2017) allege, criteria for civil commitment differ among states, but common criteria entail the requirement that the individual is mentally ill, lacks the judgement to make autonomy decisions concerning hospitalization, and is imminent to injuring others or self. Based on Mississippi civil commitment laws, the client is eligible for involuntary commitment is a danger to himself since he had tried committed suicide threatens to commit suicide. In Mississippi, for both outpatient and inpatient treatment, an individual must demonstrate a considerable likelihood of physically harming self or others as shown by a recent threat or attempt to harm others or self and needs treatment but is not able to make informed decisions regarding treatment.Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay.

How the understanding of   Mississippi state laws confirmed my initial recommendation regarding involuntarily committing the client.

My understanding of state laws confirmed my initial recommendation concerning involuntarily committing the client. Involuntary hospitalization entails the question of whether the patient is suicidal, and, therefore, a danger to herself or himself or homicidal, and, therefore, a threat to others. As Sadock and Sadock (2017) assert since these individuals do not realize their requirement for inpatient care, a friend or relative can make an application for hospitalization. After the application is made, it is the obligation of two physicians to examine and confirm if the patient needs to be admitted to the hospital.

Actions that I might be able to take to supports the parents for or against involuntary commitment if the client were not qualified for involuntary commitment

I would perform an emergency psychiatric assessment to support the parents for or against voluntary commitment if the client was not eligible for involuntary commitment The evaluation will help me to determine the suitable setting for treatment of the client and to offer safety and stabilization for the patient. Suicidal behavior will be the most common basis for an emergency assessment of the client. As indicated by Sadock and Sadock (2017), suicidal behavior should be cautiously assessed, with specific attention being paid to the child’s psychiatric status and the capability of guardian or family to offer the suitable supervision. The evaluation should establish the situations of the suicidal ideation or behavior, its lethality as well as the persistence of the intention to commit suicide. An assessment of the competence, supportiveness, and sensitivity of parent or guardian should be conducted to evaluate their capability to monitor the suicidal potential of the client. The assessment will enable me establish whether the client may go home and an outpatient follow-up care initiated or whether admission is required.Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay.

Initial actions I may be able to take to begin treating the client if he were not qualified for involuntary commitment

The initial actions I may be able to take would initiate to initiate treatment for the client if he not meet eligibility for involuntary commitment emergency hospitalization also known as emergency commitment so as to be able to initiate treatment for the client. As Townsend and Morgan (2017) assert, emergency hospitalization sought when a person shows behavior that is imminently and clearly dangerous to others or self or individual s who are confused such that they are not able to autonomously make decisions. Such an admission is often instigated by friends or relatives of the patients, the court, or healthcare professionals police officers. An emergency commitment will enable me to diagnose, observe and treat the client since he poses danger to himself.

Conclusion

Involuntary commitment is common in mental health care particularly for patients who pose danger to themselves or others or are unable to make informed decisions regarding their care. State laws that address the criteria and process for involuntary commitment differ across states. Thus, it is necessary for PMHNPs to review their states’ laws on involuntary commitment so as to understand the circumstances in which they can involuntarily commit patients and treat individuals who fail to voluntarily commit themselves.

Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay.