Insanity

Ethical and Legal Issues Civil (Psychiatric) Commitment Involuntary placement in a psychiatric facility (2PC) Threat to oneself or others 72 hour window until hearing or due process ? convert to voluntary commitment Different than criminal commitment (not guilty by reason of insanity) (Over)Predicting Dangerousness Best predictor of future violence is past violence! Post-hoc problem ? hindsight is 20/20 General to specific Definition of dangerousness Low base-rate Unlikely to disclose direct threats of violence Difficulty predicting behavior in community based on behavior in hospital Violence and Severe Mental Illness Increased violence in severely mentally ill BUT the increased risk of violence in schizophrenia is small