Involuntary Admissions
Once a person has been brought to a psychiatric facility to be assessed, the physician may hold them there for up to 72 hours on an application for psychiatric assessment (Form 1). This form allows the person to be held at a psychiatric facility for assessment, but does not itself permit any treatment without the persons consent.
Consent to treatment is not covered under the Mental Health Act but rather the Health Care Consent Act. The physician must also fill out a Form 42 to notify the person and inform them of why they're being held.
At the end of the 72 hours permitted by a Form 1, the person must either be released, be admitted as a voluntary patient, or continue to be held as an involuntary patient with a certificate of involuntary admission (Form 3).
The physician who signs the Form 3 must be different than the physician who signed the initial Form 1.
A Form 3 allows the patient to be held for two weeks and the patient must be notified with a Form 30.
At the end of the two weeks, if the facility is to continue to keep the patient on an involuntary basis, a certificate of renewal (Form 4) must be filled out. The first time a Form 4 is filled out, it is valid for one month, the second time it is filled out it is valid for two months, each time after that, it is valid for three months. Each time a Form 4 is filled out, another Form 30 must be filled out, notifying the patient.
Read more about this topic: Ontario Mental Health Act
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