Civil interventions refers to legal processes by which people other than the person with mental illness can initiate treatment and includes initiation of civil commitment proceedings and court-ordered treatment, including assisted outpatient treatment (AOT). Civil commitment processes and AOT do not require involvement of the police or the criminal justice system. Recently states have begun to provide for civil interventions for behavioral health conditions other than mental illness, including substance use disorders.
Court ordered treatment can be provided in the community or in an inpatient setting as determined by a clinical evaluation. Inpatient and outpatient treatment can be delivered sequentially or, alternatively, beginning with outpatient options and utilizing inpatient settings as needed.
Many states have laws that explicitly authorize assisted outpatient treatment, and that number is increasing as the success of AOT as an intervention grows.
Learn More About Civil Commitment
- *Brian D. Shannon, Model Legal Processes for Court Ordered Mental Health Treatment - A Modern Approach
- *Mental Health Colorado, Model Legal Processes to Support Clinical Intervention for Persons with Serious Mental Illnesses
- SAMHSA, Civil Commitment and the Mental Health Care Continuum: Historical Trends and Principles for Law and Practice
- Psychiatry, Civil Commitment in the United States
- National Judicial Opioid Task Force, Involuntary Commitment and Guardianship Laws for Persons with a Substance Use Disorder
Learn More About Assisted Outpatient Treatment
- Treatment Advocacy Center, Assisted Outpatient Treatment: Improving Outcomes and Saving Money*
- National Center for State Courts, Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Community-Based Civil Commitment
- SAMHSA's GAINS Center, Seven Habits of Highly Effective Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Judges
- *SAMHSA, SAMHSA Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Grant Program Outcomes
- Treatment Advocacy Center, What is AOT?
* Updated