Petitioning for Involuntary Commitment for Chemical Dependency by Medical Services

Article Figures & Data

Table 1

Demographic Information

Demographic Variable	Court Hearing Filed	Commitment Hearing Not Filed
Total (N = 28)	14	14
Sex
Male	10	9
Female	4	5
Mean age (years)	42.1	43
Race
White	12	13
Black	1	0
Native American	1	1
Married	2	3
Employed	2	6
Prior psychiatric hospitalization	5	4
Prior inpatient CD treatment	14	12
Drug of choice
Alcohol	12	10
Opiates	0	4
Methamphetamines	2	0

Table 2

Outcomes of Patients for Whom Commitment Was Not Filed

Pt	ED Visits		Hospitalizations		Criminal History	Criminal Acts Post Event	Death
Pt	Pre Event	Post Event	Pre Event	Post Event	Criminal History	Criminal Acts Post Event	Death
1	7	7	3	4	Misdemeanors	Misdemeanors	No
2	0	5	0	3	Misdemeanors	DUI	No
3	0^*	0^*	0^*	0^*	Misdemeanors	DUI	Yes^*
4	17	10	12	9	None	None	No
5	0	1	1	1	None	None	No
6	3	0	3	0	Misdemeanors	Misdemeanors	No
7	5	3	4	3	Felonies	Misdemeanors	No
8	4	4	4	1	None	None	Yes
9	5	5	1	1	None	Misdemeanors	No
10	0^†	0^†	0^†	0^†	Misdemeanors	Violent felony	No
11	1	0	0	1	None	None	Yes
12	4	6	4	4	None	None	No
13	10	7	10	7	Misdemeanors	None	No
14	4	1	2	0	Misdemeanors	Misdemeanors	No

Event, hospitalization during which the county was petitioned to commit the patient; Pre Event, 24 months before the event; Post Event, 24 months after the event; Criminal history/acts, any criminal conviction where substances of abuse were involved in the crime, either directly related to substance use or to the patient's intoxication at the time of the act. DUI, criminal conviction for driving under the influence.
↵* Cause of death was unspecified.
↵† Patient was airlifted far from place of residence for specialty care for advanced liver disease and subsequently transferred home after discharge.

Table 3

Outcomes of Patients for Whom Court Paperwork Was Filed

Pt	Hearing Outcome	ED Visits		Hospitalizations		Criminal History	Criminal Acts Post Event	Death
Pt	Hearing Outcome	Pre Event	Post Event	Pre Event	Post Event	Criminal History	Criminal Acts Post Event	Death
15	Committed	2	2	2	1	Misdemeanors	None	No
16	Committed	0	6	1	1	Felonies	Misdemeanors	No
17	Committed	7	4	10	3	Felonies	None	No
18	Committed	1	20	1	5	Misdemeanors	None	No
19	Committed	0	0	0	0	Misdemeanors	None	No
20	Dismissed	28	0^*	11	0^*	Felonies	Felonies^*	No
21	Stay	2	2	2	2	Misdemeanors	None	No
22	Committed	13	15	16	12	None	None	No
23	Dismissed	3	5	3	6	DUI	None	No
24	Stay	0^†	3	0^†	1	Misdemeanors	Misdemeanors	No
25	Committed	4	0^‡	3	0^‡	DUI	None^‡	No
26	Guardian	2	1	2	0	Felonies	None	Yes
27	Guardian	3	0	2	0	DUI	None	Yes
28	Guardian	6	1	5	2	DUI	None	No

Event, hospitalization during which the county was petitioned to commit the patient; Pre-event, 24 months before the event; post-event, 24 months after the event; Criminal history/acts, any criminal conviction where substances of abuse were involved in the crime, either directly related to substance use or to the patient's intoxication at the time of the act. DUI, criminal conviction for driving under the influence.
↵* Patient was taken into state custody and incarcerated for the duration of the 24-month follow-up period.
↵† Patient moved to the area immediately before the commitment event.
↵‡ Patient was not seen at our institution after commitment, making it likely that he relocated.