PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Hoge, MA AU - Grottole, E TI - The case against outpatient commitment DP - 2000 Jun 01 TA - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online PG - 165--170 VI - 28 IP - 2 4099 - http://jaapl.org/content/28/2/165.short 4100 - http://jaapl.org/content/28/2/165.full SO - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law2000 Jun 01; 28 AB - Among individuals with severe mental illness, a small proportion commit violent acts. Since these individuals are often not engaged in ambulatory treatment, there has been a move in the states to legislate and implement outpatient commitment programs. The American Psychiatric Association Council on Psychiatry and Law has issued a Resource Document that supports the use of mandatory outpatient treatment. The purpose of this article is to challenge the logic and legitimacy of using the courts to force treatment compliance of individuals who are neither incompetent by legal standards nor at imminent risk of harming themselves or others.