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Filing Procedures -
Involuntary Mental
Health Treatment
Mental Health Services Brochure - from DWMHA
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Involuntary Commitment?
This is the process used in a probate court to help a person
who may be mentally ill and harmful to self or others and refuses to seek
treatment or whose judgment is so impaired they do not understand their
need for treatment.
How do I know if a person is mentally ill?
First, watch the person's behavior carefully. If the
behavior only occurs when the person has been taking drugs or using
alcohol, the problem could be substance abuse, not mental illness.
However, if the behavior is continuous, and if the person
threatens or actually harms him/herself or others, or whose judgment is so
impaired that they do not understand their need for treatment, you may
contact the Probate Court where the person resides or is found.
Who should I call?
If you have been unable to get treatment for the person at a
clinic or agency with a mental health professional, you may call the Mental
Health Services Department of the Wayne County Probate Court at (313)
224-5825 between 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM, Monday-Friday,
except holidays.
If the emergency occurs after business hours, you can call
the 24-hour Emergency Telephone service at (313) 224-7000. They will
immediately refer you to a mental health facility.
What will the Court’s Mental Health Services
Department need to know?
Court staff will verify that you personally observed the
behavior and that it happened recently. You will be asked to describe
the behavior in detail.
Court staff will also want to know the individual's
substance abuse habits. If the problem is determined to be substance
abuse related, you will be referred to an agency in your area.
You will also be asked whether every effort has been made to
get the person to voluntarily seek help.
What if the person needs further evaluation?
Court staff will tell you to come in person to Room 1307,
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI to fill
out a petition. You will need to describe in writing:
1. What specific symptoms and behaviors the person is
displaying.
2. What harmful or threatening behavior to him/herself
or others did the person demonstrate that concerns you.
Petitions can be filed between 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 1:30
PM - 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday, except holidays.
What happens next?
You will be asked to complete a Petition for Mental Health
Treatment. There is no fee.
Court staff will prepare a Supplement to Petition for
Mental Health Treatment and Order. You will then be sent to a
Probate Judge (in the same building) where your petition will be
heard. If the Judge signs the Order to authorize a psychiatric
evaluation, you will then return to the Mental Health Services Department
where you will receive all of the completed paperwork to take with
you. You will then go home and call 911 (Detroit only) or visit your
local police precinct to arrange for the person to be transported to a
crisis center.
Where will the person be taken?
The police will take the person to any emergency department.
What happens at the crisis center hospital?
The hospital will perform a psychiatric evaluation within 24
hours and will decide whether the person needs treatment.
What if the hospital determines that the
person does not require hospitalization?
If the person does not require hospitalization, or is
diagnosed as having a substance abuse problem, the hospital will release
the person. Sometimes the hospital will recommend outpatient
treatment.
And if the person is diagnosed as requiring
treatment?
Then the person will be sent to a designated hospital for
necessary care.
Who makes the decision to hospitalize the
person for psychiatric treatment?
The hospital director and the Court are authorized to
recommend hospitalization or release.
How long will the person be kept in the
treatment facility?
The Court may order up to 60 days of treatment on the
initial admission order, but the hospital makes the final decision.
Could it be longer?
Yes. The hospital may petition the Court for continued
treatment. The Court will then hold a hearing to decide whether to
grant the petition or discharge the patient.
IMPORTANT: The person who originally filed the
petition must attend the hearing.
If you need more information about getting help for someone
who may need mental health treatment, call the Detroit-Wayne Community
Mental Health Agency (CMH) at (313) 833-2500 or the Mental Health Services
Department of Wayne County Probate Court at (313) 224-5825. Also, consider visiting the CMH website
at www.dwmha.com.
Rev 3/17
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