Involuntarily committed

Does anyone have any experience with being civilly committed? My son may be put in somewhere if the courts approve tomorrow. He’s in the hospital right now and refusing meds because “he’s not ill.” He’s had psychosis for a long time and is getting worse. I sadly hope he gets put in involuntarily as it’s his only hope and shot at a better life. I just can’t seem to find any info on these types of hospitals. The state is Oregon. How are they given meds there if they refuse them? Once the meds kick in, do they usually get better within a few weeks? He has schizophrenia. So many questions… Any info is helpful. Thank you.

http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&id=233&Itemid=168

maybe not your county, but http://www.clackamas.us/behavioralhealth/commitment.html has a link to Oregon laws

p 23 http://droregon.org/wp-content/uploads/Mental-Health-Law-in-Oregon-Fourth-Edition.pdf Also, state hospital info starts on p 51 - 68. This is from Disability Rights Oregon; even if your son is committed, he retains legal rights.

I know you want your son to recover and I hope he does. Sometimes civil commitment is the only way forward.

Not really sure what might happen as every state is different. Just linked some things I found to give you a little bit of information. Not sure how they would force him to take meds, but the state can. Then, depending on the medication, it would take a few weeks or longer to stabilize.

I’m sorry you and your family are going through this. You might contact Oregon NAMI http://www.namior.org/contact.html or your local NAMI office. There will be people there who know the system. There are also support groups for family members.

My only advice is, write down all your questions for when you do find the people who can answer them.

Good luck. Please let us know what happens.

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Also, if your son is 25 yo or younger, try to get him into EASA after the hospital. Oregon is one of the few states in the US with Early Treatment for Psychosis programs.

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Thank you so much for all the links. I’ve had a really hard time finding info for some reason. I’m going to check them out now. Also, great idea about NAMI and EASA. I’ve heard of both. He’s 24, so that would work as well.

This has been a nightmare come true! Just awful times. Thank you for responding and your well wishes. I will keep you informed as to how he’s doing. Really hoping this route works for him. I would love to see him happy/content instead of tortured.

Thanks again!

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