Biomaterial Database

APA's model law: a commitment code by and for psychiatrists. 1985

D B Wexler

The author argues that the APA model law is seriously flawed because it lacks sufficient mechanisms for questioning the judgment of psychiatrists throughout the commitment process and for ensuring the best disposition of patients. By failing to provide for independent screening of commitment petitions, to mandate multiple psychiatric evaluations of respondents, to provide indigent respondents a free psychiatric examination to help them prepare for the commitment hearing, and to address the shortcomings of legal advocacy, the model law sets the stage for improper or unwarranted commitments. In addition, the law circumvents the rights of patients admitted on emergency status to refuse treatment throughout the entire evaluation period, which can last up to 14 days.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007600	Judgment	The process of discovering or asserting an objective or intrinsic relation between two objects or concepts; a faculty or power that enables a person to make judgments; the process of bringing to light and asserting the implicit meaning of a concept; a critical evaluation of a person or situation.	Judgement,Judgements,Judgments
D010349	Patient Compliance	Voluntary cooperation of the patient in following a prescribed regimen.	Client Adherence,Client Compliance,Non-Adherent Patient,Patient Adherence,Patient Cooperation,Patient Noncompliance,Patient Non-Adherence,Patient Non-Compliance,Patient Nonadherence,Therapeutic Compliance,Treatment Compliance,Adherence, Client,Adherence, Patient,Client Compliances,Compliance, Client,Compliance, Patient,Compliance, Therapeutic,Compliance, Treatment,Cooperation, Patient,Non Adherent Patient,Non-Adherence, Patient,Non-Adherent Patients,Non-Compliance, Patient,Nonadherence, Patient,Noncompliance, Patient,Patient Non Adherence,Patient Non Compliance,Patient, Non-Adherent,Therapeutic Compliances,Treatment Compliances
D011570	Psychiatry	The medical science that deals with the origin, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders.
D003134	Commitment of Mentally Ill	Legal process required for the institutionalization of a patient with severe mental problems.	Outpatient Commitment,Commitment, Outpatient,Mentally Ill Commitments
D004637	Emergency Services, Psychiatric	Organized services to provide immediate psychiatric care to patients with acute psychological disturbances.	Emergency Psychiatric Services,Psychiatric Emergency Services,Services, Emergency Psychiatric,Services, Psychiatric Emergency,Emergency Psychiatric Service,Emergency Service, Psychiatric,Psychiatric Emergency Service,Psychiatric Service, Emergency,Psychiatric Services, Emergency,Service, Emergency Psychiatric,Service, Psychiatric Emergency
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012955	Societies, Medical	Societies whose membership is limited to physicians.	Medical Societies,Medical Society,Society, Medical
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D028642	Mentally Ill Persons	Persons with psychiatric illnesses or diseases, particularly psychotic and severe mood disorders.	Mental Patients,Mentally Ill,Ill, Mentally,Mentally Ill Person,Person, Mentally Ill,Persons, Mentally Ill
D028701	Patient Rights	Fundamental claims of patients, as expressed in statutes, declarations, or generally accepted moral principles. (Bioethics Thesaurus) The term is used for discussions of patient rights as a group of many rights, as in a hospital's posting of a list of patient rights.	Right to Treatment,Patient's Rights,Patients' Rights,Patient Right,Patient's Right,Patients Rights,Patients' Right,Right to Treatments,Right, Patient,Right, Patient's,Right, Patients',Rights, Patient,Rights, Patient's,Rights, Patients',Treatment, Right to,Treatments, Right to