Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay Paper

The Assignment (2–3 pages):
•Based on the scenario, would you recommend that the client be voluntarily committed? Why or why not?
•Based on the laws in your state, would the client be eligible for involuntary commitment? Explain why or why not.
•Did understanding the state laws confirm or challenge your initial recommendation regarding involuntarily committing the client? Explain.
•If the client were not eligible for involuntary commitment, explain what actions you may be able to take to support the parents for or against voluntary commitment.
•If the client were not eligible for involuntary commitment, explain what initial actions you may be able to take to begin treating the client.

You are a PMHNP working in a large intercity hospital. You receive a call from the answering service informing you that a “stat” consult has been ordered by one of the hospitalists in the ICU. Upon arriving in the ICU, you learn that your consult is a 14 year old male who overdosed on approximately 50 Benadryl (diphenhydramine hydrochloride) tablets in an apparent suicide attempt. At the scene, a suicide note was found indicating that he wanted to die because his girlfriend’s parents felt that their daughter was too young to be “dating.” The client stated in the suicide note that he could not “live without her” and decided to take his own life. Although he has been medically stabilized and admitted to the ICU, he has been refusing to talk with the doctors or nurses. The hospital staff was finally able to get in touch with the clients parents (using contact information retrieved from the 14 year old’s cell phone). Unbeknown to the hospital staff, the parents are divorced, and both showed up at the hospital at approximately the same time, each offering their own perspectives on what ought to be done. The client’s father is demanding that the client be hospitalized because of the suicide, but his mother points out that he does not have “physical custody” of the child. The client’s mother demands that the client be discharged to home with her stating that her son’s actions were nothing more than a “stunt” and “an attempt at manipulating the situation that he didn’t like.” The client’s mother then becomes “nasty” and informs you that she works as a member of the clerical staff for the state board of nursing, and if you fail to discharge her child “right now” she will make you “sorry.” How would you proceed?

I will need this essay completed by late Saturday no later than Sunday. Thanks.

Voluntary and involuntary commitment

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Part 1.

The client should be committed to receive treatment, with the commitment preferably being voluntary. This decision is based on three arguments. The first argument is that the client is a child who has been accompanied by his parents. The parents are the child’s legal representatives and have the legal backing to make medical responsible decisions for the client. This implies that with the right information as explained by medical personnel, it would be possible to convince the parents that the client should be committed. The second argument is that the child is likely to harm himself and even harm others if discharged without receiving treatment. This means that it is in his best interest to be committed and receive treatment so that he does not harm himself or others when he is discharged from the facility. Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay Paper The final argument is that the client has not been assessed, and this should be done since it constitutes holistic care. The commitment would allow for comprehensive assessment that presents a better awareness of the client’s current situation (Perring & Well, 2014). As a result, the client should be voluntarily committed.

Part 2. Minnesota State

The State of Minnesota sets legal conditions and thresholds to govern decisions concerning involuntary commitment. These conditions and thresholds are presented as mandatory treatment laws that clearly outline how clients become eligible for involuntary commitment. The laws are clear that clients would only be eligible for involuntary commitment if they meet three conditions. The first condition is failure to communicate that makes it difficult to assess the patient so that potential for future harm becomes difficult to assess. The client has refused to communicate. The second condition is evidence of self-harm and/or harm to others. The client has been brought in over a suicide attempt and could harm himself and/or others if discharged without treatment. The final condition is the possibility of the client’s psychiatric condition deteriorating if treatment is not offered. Based on these three justifications, the client is eligible for involuntary commitment as argued using the Minnesota State’s mandatory treatment laws (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2019).

Part 3.

Minnesota State laws support my initial recommendation. I initially recommended that the client should be committed, although I stated that the commitment should be voluntary. That is because the client is a child and his parents were present and capable to making responsible health care decisions. Given this awareness, my argument was that the parents would be easily convinced to have the client committed for treatment. Besides that, this approach is less aggressive. However, if the option of voluntary commitment failed to work then I would explore the option of involuntary commitment using the criteria presented by the state laws. I would explore the second option as a last option is it is aggressive and could strain the relationship between the medical personnel and client as well as parents (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2019).

Part 4.

If the client had not been eligible for involuntary commitment, then two options would be explored to ensure that he received the required treatment. The first option is to have the parents have the child voluntarily committed to receive treatment. The second option is to approach a court to present an order that obliges the client to be committed for a set period of time to undergo psychiatric assessment to determine the need for treatment. Once the need for treatment has been determined, the courts would be approached for a second time to issue an order that obliges the client to receive treatment since he is a danger to himself and others (Wasser, 2017).

Part 5.

If the client is not eligible for involuntary commitment, then the next action would be to conduct psychiatric assessment. Next, a treatment plan would be presented and medication prescribe under the present treatment mandate. Finally, arguments would be presented to the parents to have the client voluntarily committed (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

References

American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5^th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Perring, C. & Well, L. (2014). Diagnostic dilemmas in child and adolescent psychiatry: philosophical perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Treatment Advocacy Center (2019). Mandatory treatment laws in Minnesota. Retrieved from https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/browse-by-state/minnesota

Wasser, T. (2017). Psychiatry and the law: basic principles. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG. Voluntary and Involuntary Commitment Essay Paper