Sure. In my state, Missouri, for a 96 hour evaluation. If the person is capable of lying (and many paranoid schiz are) they can deny being a danger to themselves or others, and legally they cannot be held further.
I worked in neuropsych as a nurse; if a patient does not want to attend followup treatment, they can rarely be forced to do so.
Whoa, I didn’t know that. So you’re saying that an insane person that is a danger to society can’t be locked up? What about that lady in Texas that drowned her 5 kids? They can only be locked up AFTER committing a crime?
Since you have expertise in the area of mental health perhaps you could help. I’m trying to remember when it was exactly that there were articles appearing in newspapers and commentaries on TV about state institutions emptying and long term mental ill patients being let out onto the streets. Wasn’t it in the late 80’s? There was concern then about those who are non-violent and had no place to live wandering the streets but also about the violent ones. This closing of mental heath facilities is it a public money issue or a court decision based on individual freedom? Thanks for any clafication you are willing to give.