Civil commitment, as it relates to mental health services, is a process in which a judge decides whether a person who is alleged to have a mental illness should be required to go to a psychiatric hospital or accept other mental health treatment. This can include commitment to community based mental health services or commitment to an inpatient hospital. A person can be committed through this process if the judge determines that there is clear and convincing evidence that the person has a mental disorder and, because of that mental disorder, is of danger to self or others, or is unable to provide for basic personal needs like health and safely.
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 253B. Civil Commitment
The process is a legal one, but usually involves mental health case management services because the committed individual is required to have mental health case management services and because of the individual’s need for assessment, planning, referring and monitoring services.
The case manager may have responsibilities to participate in assessing the individuals needs and service needs, to attend hearings, to be involved in discharge planning, to monitor the court-ordered services that the person is required to receive, and to provide follow up reports to the court.