Abstract
Civil commitment has evolved over the years to reflect the ideas of community, mental health professionals, and law. Individuals with an eating disorder or substance abuse problems can show a high degree of reluctance for treatment while displaying an inability to assess the outcome of their actions. When the safety of the individual clashes with their desire for maintaining the status quo or the individual is incapacitated due to the consequences of an eating disorder or substance use disorder, a discussion of involuntary treatment must be considered. The consequence of those behaviors directs the healthcare provider or family toward coercion. The perception of coercion in civil commitment is complex and not necessarily related to the degree of restriction of freedom. Civil commitment is a legitimate tool in emergent situations when an eating disorder or substance use disorder becomes life threatening. Compulsory treatment can be viewed as being in the best interest of the patient, family, and care provider. Civil commitment as a method to providing treatment is not without its critics or controversies, and a host of ethical concerns accompanies the use of this approach. Although controversial, there is a role for civil commitment in the treatment of eating disorders and substance use disorders.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2006). Treatment of patients with eating disorders, 3rd edition. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(7 Suppl), 4–54.
Andersen, A. (2007). Eating disorders and coercion. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 9–11.
Anfang, S. A., & Appelbaum, P. S. (2006). Civil commitment–the American experience. The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, 43(3), 209.
Appelbaum, P. S. (2006). History of civil commitment and related reforms in the United States: Lessons for today. Developments in Mental Health Law, 25, 13.
Arcelus, J., Mitchell, A. J., Wales, J., & Nielsen, S. (2011). Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders: A meta-analysis of 36 studies. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68, 724–731.
Ben-Tovim, D. I., Walker, K., Gilchrist, P., Freeman, R., Kalucy, R., & Esterman, A. (2001). Outcome in patients with eating disorders: A 5-year study. The Lancet, 357, 1254–1257.
Bindman, J., Reid, Y., Szmukler, G., Tiller, J., Thornicroft, G., & Leese, M. (2005). Perceived coercion at admission to psychiatric hospital and engagement with follow-up. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 40(2), 160–166.
Bisson, J. I., Hampton, V., Rosser, A., & Holm, S. (2009). Developing a care pathway for advance decisions and powers of attorney: Qualitative study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 194(1), 55–61.
Bloom, J. D. (2004). Thirty-five years of working with civil commitment statutes. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 32(4), 430–439.
Caplan, A. L. (2006). Ethical issues surrounding forced, mandated, or coerced treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 31(2), 117–120.
de Stefano, A., & Ducci, G. (2008). Involuntary admission and compulsory treatment in Europe: An overview. International Journal of Mental Health, 37(3), 10–21.
Engstrom, A., Adamsson, C., Allebeck, P., & Rydberg, U. (1991). Mortality in patients with substance abuse: A follow-up in Stockholm County, 1973-1984. Substance Use and Misuse, 26, 91–106.
Fennell, P., & Goldstein, R. L. (2006). The application of civil commitment law and practices to a case of delusional disorder: A cross-national comparison of legal approaches in the United States and the United Kingdom. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 24(3), 385–406.
Ferris, C. E. (2008). Search for due process in civil commitment hearings: How procedural realities have altered substantive standards. The Vanderbilt Law Review, 61, 959.
Gans, M., & Gunn, W. B., Jr. (2003). End stage anorexia: Criteria for competence to refuse treatment. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 26(6), 677–695.
Geller, J. L. (2006). The evolution of outpatient commitment in the USA: From conundrum to quagmire. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 29, 234–248.
Grace, P. J., & Hardt, E. J. (2008). When a patient refuses assistance. The American Journal of Nursing, 108(8), 36–38.
Guarda, A., Pinto, A., Coughlin, J., Hussain, S., Haug, N., & Heinberg, L. (2007). Perceived coercion and change in perceived need for admission in patients hospitalized for eating disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 108–114.
Harris, E. C., & Barraclough, B. (1998). Excess mortality of mental disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 173, 11–53.
Henderson, C., Flood, C., Leese, M., Thornicroft, G., Sutherby, K., & Szmukler, G. (2004). Effect of joint crisis plans on use of compulsory treatment in psychiatry: Single blind randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 329, 136–138.
Herzog, D. B, Dorer, D. J., Keel, P. K., Selwyn, S. E., Ekeblad, E.R., Flores, A. T., …, Kellor, M. B. (1999). Recovery and relapse in anorexia and bulimia nervosa: A 7.5-year follow-up study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 829–837.
Hiday, V. A. (1996). Involuntary commitment as a psychiatric technology. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 12, 585–603.
Honig, J., & Stefan, S. (2005). New research continues to challenge the need for outpatient commitment. New England Journal on Crime and Civil Commitment, 31, 109.
Hope, T., Tan, J., Stewart, A., & McMillian, J. (2013). Agency, ambivalence and authenticity: The many ways in which anorexia nervosa can affect autonomy. International Journal of Law in Context, 9, 20–36.
Isager, T., Brinch, M., Kreiner, S., & Tolstrup, K. (1985). Death and relapse in anorexia nervosa: Survival analysis of 151 cases. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 19, 515–521.
Jacobsen, T. B. (2012). Involuntary treatment in Europe: Different countries, different practices. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 25(4), 307–310.
Kaplan, A. S., Walsh, B. T., Olmsted, M., Attia, E., Carter, J. C., Devlin, M. J., …, Parides, M. (2009). The slippery slope: Prediction of successful weight maintenance in anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 39, 1037–1045.
Kenney, D. W. (2012). Making Gandhi Ji Eat: Dare We? Workshop presented at the 4th annual Eating Recovery Center Foundation Eating Disorders Conference, Denver, CO.
Pike, K. M. (1998). Long-term course of anorexia nervosa: Response, relapse, remission, and recovery. Clinical Psychology Review, 18, 447–475.
Pinals, D., & Mossman, D. (2011). Evaluation for civil commitment. New York: Oxford University Press.
Rain, S. D., Williams, V. F., Robbins, P. C., Monahan, J., Steadman, H. J., & Vesselinov, R. (2003). Perceived coercion at hospital admission and adherence to mental health treatment after discharge. Psychiatric Services, 54, 103–105.
Ramsay, R., Ward, A., Treasure, J., & Russell, G. F. (1999). Compulsory treatment in anorexia nervosa. Short-term benefits and long-term mortality. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 175, 147–153.
Sarin, A. (2012). On psychiatric wills and the Ulysses clause: The advance directive in psychiatry. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 54, 206.
Sheehan, K. A. (2009). Compulsory treatment in psychiatry. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 22, 582–586.
Silber, T. J. (2011). Treatment of anorexia nervosa against the patient’s will: Ethical considerations. Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, 22, 283.
Srebnik, D. S., Rutherford, L. T., Peto, T., Russo, J., Zick, E., Jaffe, C., & Holtzheimer, P. (2005). The content and clinical utility of psychiatric advance directives. Psychiatric Services, 56, 592–598.
Swanson, J. W., Van McCrary, S., Swartz, M. S., Elbogen, E. B., & Van Dorn, R. A. (2006). Superseding psychiatric advance directives: Ethical and legal considerations. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 34, 385–394.
Swartz, M. S., Swanson, J. W., Wagner, H. R., Burns, B. J., Hiday, V. A., & Borum, R. (1999). Can involuntary outpatient commitment reduce hospital recidivism?: Findings from a randomized trial with severely mentally ill individuals. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 1968–1975.
Tan, J., Hope, T., & Stewart, A. (2003a). Competence to refuse treatment in anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 26, 697–707.
Tan, J. O., Hope, T., & Stewart, A. (2003b). Anorexia nervosa and personal identity: The accounts of patients and their parents. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 26, 533–548.
Tan, J. O., Hope, T., Stewart, A., & Fitzpatrick, R. (2003c). Control and compulsory treatment in anorexia nervosa: The views of patients and parents. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 26, 627–645.
Tan, J. O., Stewart, A., Fitzpatrick, R., & Hope, T. (2010). Attitudes of patients with anorexia nervosa to compulsory treatment and coercion. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 33, 13–19.
Tansey, J. (2011). Ethical Analysis: Civil Commitment. Workshop presented at the 45th Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, Toronto, CA.
Testa, M., & West, S. G. (2010). Civil commitment in the United States. Psychiatry (Edgmont), 7, 30–40.
Thiels, C., & Curtice, M. J. (2009). Forced treatment of anorexic patients: Part 2. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 22, 497–500.
Unknown Author (2013, January). State standards for assisted treatment: Civil commitment criteria for inpatient and outpatient psychiatric treatment. Retrieved from http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/legel-resources/state-standards
Watson, T. L., Bowers, W. A., & Andersen, A. E. (2000). Involuntary treatment of eating disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 1806–1810.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bowers, W.A. (2014). Civil Commitment in the Treatment of Eating Disorders and Substance Abuse: Empirical Status and Ethical Considerations. In: Brewerton, T., Baker Dennis, A. (eds) Eating Disorders, Addictions and Substance Use Disorders. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45378-6_30
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45378-6_30
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-45377-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-45378-6
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)