Modernization of a mental health act: I. Commitment patterns.

The involuntary commitment of psychiatrically ill patients remains a controversial subject. Arguments have been made that involuntary commitment is a form of" social control" and as such should be totally abolished. I Others have argued that although involuntary commitments should be kept to a minimum, there is a small but significant portion of the population who are in great need of treatment that they would not get unless they are committed against their will. 2.3 The American Psychiatric Association's Committee on Psychiatry and Law took this position: