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A Danger to Self and Others: Health and Criminal Consequences of Involuntary Hospitalization
Involuntary hospitalization of people experiencing a mental health crisis is a widespread practice, 2.4 times as common as death from cancer and as common in the U.S. as incarceration in state and federal prisons. The intent of involuntary hospitalization is to prevent individuals from harming themselves or others through incapacitation, stabilization and medical treatment over a short period of time. Does involuntary hospitalization achieve its goals? We leverage quasi-random assignment of the evaluating physician and administrative data from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, to estimate the ...