Mental Illness Commitment

Emergency Detention Orders & Psychiatric Emergencies

Definitions:

 In Indiana mental illness includes: mental retardation, alcoholism, addiction, to narcotics or dangerous drugs and psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia.

• “Mental illness” is defined as a “psychiatric disorder that substantially disturbs an individual’s thinking, feeling, or behavior and impairs the individual’s ability to function.” IC 16-14-9.1-1(a)
• “Dangerous” means that, as a result of being mentally ill, there is a substantial risk that the individual will harm himself/herself or others.
• “Gravely disabled” means that the individual is in danger of coming to harm because he or she is unable to provide for food, clothing, shelter or other essential needs, or, cannot function independently due to a deterioration of reasoning or behavior.