The obviously ill patient in need of treatment: a fourth standard for civil commitment

The three relatively standard criteria currently contained in most state civil commitment laws (danger to self, danger to others, and gravely disabled) have forced many obviously ill patients to deteriorate to the point of dangerousness before receiving treatment, to become criminalized, or to wander the streets untreated. After discussing the origins of present civil commitment laws and the plight of obviously ill patients, the author details the cooperative effort of several groups in Wisconsin to codify a fourth standard for civil commitment that would ensure that obviously ill patients receive treatment with proper procedural and due process safeguards. Other statutory alternatives to remedy the plight of obviously ill patients are also discussed.