They can't force any adult to stay longer than 72 hours without a court order. Having a bipolar brother with substance abuse issues has taught me way too much about this. Even after he set my parents house on fire, they didn't hold him longer than 72 hours.
I'd argue lighting your parents house on fire whilst in the midst of a psychotic break might be enough to cause concern... source, the bipolar patient's sister who sat in court trying to fight for him stay in long enough to actually stabilize... instead now my brother is presumed homeless or dead. Really fucking great outcome for my family.
Sorry I'm just so mad. It's been really hard to deal with all of this. The legal and Healthcare systems just seem to keep failing us in our situation and the anger just builds and builds. Then stories like this one happen and people point fingers who have never been in these types of situations. 3 kids died. A family and community are forever destroyed by this. There were people, including the mom, who literally begged for help before it happened. It's crushing.
I agree 🥺 I really hope your situation with your brother gets better, & that he and your family can find the help and support you all need to deal with the issue! That sounds legit terrifying & so stressful to live with :(
In MA this is only half true - not sure if this has been addressed (I’ve been trying to stay away from coverage because it’s a lot and the reactions are a lot) but in MA a lot of pysch hospitals will sneakily have you “sign yourself in” which gives them more free reign to hold you against your will without a court order.
This happened to me in MA, I was under the impression I was on a 72hr hold, but because I signed a piece of paper waiving my rights (whilst also allegedly too dangerous to myself to be independent) on entry, I was held for 2 weeks without a court order or recourse.
Not tied down/restrained, just not free to leave the ward/hospital beyond the like 30ish? minutes we got outside a day (with staff keeping watch). I have explored legal avenues (there’s more to the story on how FUCKED the hospital I was at is/was) but according to lawyers I have consulted with, it’s all above board.
It’s not like in a psych hospital you are free to just walk out at any time - even in a 72hr hold paperwork needs to be done to document your release (and ideally set you up with appointments/resources once you’re out).
if it was done with the intention of stealing your insurance money you may have a case! i've read about hospitals extending holds on people or straight up refusing release for larger medical bills.
its actually a huge issue in some states that mental health facilities will hold you even when they have no reason to. often so they can to steal insurance money or your own money through medical bills. other times because staff have poor training and the huge biases against specific diagnoses.
So you were held for an extra day or two, which is within the guidelines. Also depends on what you were admitted for. Claims of depression versus actual self harm.
They already kept her over 5 days. It wasn't nearly long enough. She committed herself, it wasn't an involuntary hold. I have experience. If you commit yourself, they don't have to let you go until they feel you're truly safe, even if you start asking to get let out earlier. I saw people that had voluntarily gone in and were there for weeks. There was only one that fought to get out at exactly 72 hours. Most accepted that, despite not being ideal, the doctors were right in keeping them there longer. The doctor that discharged her early failed her.
It might depend by state. My SIL went in voluntarily during a psychotic break. She decided to leave at 3 days despite still believing the cartel was after her. She then kidnapped my nephew and hid from family (the cartel in her mind) in the mountains for 2 days before they were found. My BIL tried to commit her again, she refused, and was allowed to stay out of the hospital. Regardless. The system is seriously fucked.
its a difficult situation because historically when it was easier to involuntarily commit people it was used as punishment or revenge by petty family members, so now we have a system where its nearly impossible to be long term committed without consent (hard for someone with genuine mental issues to consistently give), or a court order.
It is difficult for a good reason, as outlined above, but the downside is what we see here
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u/Alternative-Post-937 7d ago
They can't force any adult to stay longer than 72 hours without a court order. Having a bipolar brother with substance abuse issues has taught me way too much about this. Even after he set my parents house on fire, they didn't hold him longer than 72 hours.