EDITORIAL: Huge step in opioid war
Times-TribuneFeb 23, 2017
Now state Sen.
The state Mental Health Procedures Act allows for involuntary commitment to a mental health facility, for an emergency evaluation, when a person has been diagnosed to be mentally ill and threatens to harm himself or others or to commit suicide. It specifically precludes the procedure for people who are alcohol- or drug-dependent, unless they otherwise have been diagnosed as being mentally ill.
Costa points out that the state mental health law has not been amended since 1978, despite growing addiction and recognition of addiction as a mental disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders now includes diagnoses of "substance abuse disorders."
Under the bill, a family would be able to seek emergency commitment of a family member under the same procedure that applies to other mental health disorders. A court would rely on a physician's evaluation to determine how long the addicted person would remain in treatment.
The bill justly is controversial. It is a huge step for the state to authorize anyone's loss of freedom. That is why the
Yet nearly 10 people a day die in
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