Psychiatrists ’ Opinions About Involuntary Civil Commitment: Results of a National Survey

This article presents results of a national survey of psychiatrists in the United States about involuntary civil commitment. The questionnaire, created by the researcher, asked respondents about their knowledge of and support for various legal standards surrounding inpatient and outpatient commitment. Data from 739 members of the American Psychiatric Association indicated support for relatively limited definitions of mental disorder for purposes of commitment and relatively limited legal grounds for commitment. Respondents frequently gave inaccurate responses about the grounds for commitment in their states, as well as whether involuntary outpatient commitment is allowed in their states. A comparison of results with prior surveys of psychiatrists is provided, and policy implications are discussed. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 35:219–28, 2007 Involuntary civil commitment laws provide for the forceful detention and commitment to an institution by judicial means of persons with mental illnesses who meet certain further criteria. These particular criteria vary from state to state and have also been subject to historical trends. Until the late 1960