AB 191: Mental health: involuntary treatment.

Under existing law, the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, when a person, as a result of a mental health disorder, is a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled, he or she may, upon probable cause, be taken into custody and placed in a facility designated by the county and approved by the State Department of Health Care Services for up to 72 hours for evaluation and treatment. Existing law authorizes a person who has been detained for 72 hours and who has received an evaluation to be certified for not more than 14 days of intensive treatment related to the mental health disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism under specified conditions. Existing law further authorizes the person to be certified for an additional period not to exceed 14 days if that person was suicidal during the 14-day period or the 72-hour evaluation period, or an additional period not to exceed more than 30 days under specified conditions. Existing law requires, for a person to be certified under any of these provisions, a notice of certification to be signed by 2 people, and, in specified circumstances, authorizes the 2nd signature to be from a licensed clinical social worker or a registered nurse who participated in the evaluation.

This bill would include a licensed marriage and family therapist and a licensed professional clinical counselor in the list of professionals who are authorized to sign the notice under specified circumstances.