Am J Psychiatry 1975; 132:501-505
Copyright © 1975 by American Psychiatric Association

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Dangerousness and civil commitment of the mentally ill: some public policy considerations

SA Shah

The author discusses "dangerousness to others" as a ground for involuntary civil commitment of the mentally ill, suggesting that there is often a confounding of legal/public-policy concerns and mental health concerns in issues related to this concept. The questionable nature of the presumption of dangerousness in mental patients and the overprediction of dangerous behavior for this group indicate that such commitment processes may circumvent legal safeguards designed to ensure due process. The author recommends that psychiatrists and other mental health professionals assume greater responsibility for the ways in which their services are used in these proceedings.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. A. Beal, D. G. Kroner, and J. R. Weekes Persecutory Ideation and Depression in Mild Violence Among Incarcerated Adult Males Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol, April 1, 2003; 47(2): 159 - 170. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. Moran Editorial: Dangerous Severe Personality Disorder Bad Tidings from the UK International Journal of Social Psychiatry, March 1, 2002; 48(1): 6 - 10. [PDF]

				M. J. MILLS Civil Commitment of the Mentally Ill: An Overview The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, March 1, 1986; 484(1): 28 - 41. [Abstract]

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