Emergency Detention of the Mentally Ill

Abstract

This article evaluates psychiatric patients' response to a procedural change in Pennsylvania's mental health law that extended the period of emergency detention from three to five days. Findings did not support the hypothesis that the proportion of emergency committed patients agreeing to voluntary hospitalization would increase post-amendment. Patients who did not consent to voluntary care within a few days of admission were unlikely to consent later. Their view of their illness and negative attitude toward hospitalization remained stable.