Can You Force Someone into Rehab in Arizona?

Understanding the Mandated Treatment Process in Arizona

Can you force someone into rehab in Arizona? There may come a time when a friend or family member lets their substance abuse get the better of them and requires addiction treatment to heal before any permanent damage is done.

If they’re unwilling to commit to recovery for themselves, you should know what options are available to you for involuntary commitment.

In Arizona, you can initiate a civil commitment for a professional assessment. From here, it may proceed to the court system with an additional evaluation and a hearing to determine the next steps. A judge can order treatment from residential to intensive outpatient as well as medication management.

Changes Healing Center can help you understand the finer points of involuntary commitment laws and help you seek treatment for yourself or someone you know. Keep reading to learn more about how you can access addiction treatment for someone who isn’t willing.

What are Involuntary Commitment Laws for Addiction Treatment?

At some point, substance abuse crosses the line into excessive risk for your loved ones. While difficult to process for all involved parties, understanding the involuntary commitment laws in Arizona is critical to securing residential treatment for a substance use disorder.

How do you know when it’s time to try to force someone into rehab?

A civil commitment can be initiated by anyone over the age of majority in the state of Arizona. This can start the ball rolling on involuntary treatment if you feel that your loved one is a danger to themselves or someone else. But it isn’t as simple as showing up to the emergency room with your friend in tow.

Instead, you’ll need factual evidence that they truly do pose a danger. Collecting documentation from a therapist, doctor, and other community support could be essential in proving your case. While anecdotal evidence could demonstrate the extent of the danger, it isn’t enough to warrant involuntary treatment.

Getting a loved one into court ordered rehab may also require you to pinpoint why they don’t want to seek treatment.

Starting the Process of Involuntary Treatment for Substance Abuse

Substance abuse treatment can be difficult to access on behalf of someone else, but it all starts with an application for a third-party assessment. This puts the person on the list for an involuntary evaluation of their mental health disorders, addiction, and the risk they pose that could warrant commitment to local treatment centers.

It can take up to 48 hours for the assessment to take place after the application is filed. If you need more immediate help and your loved one will suffer through it, you can turn to the emergency room for an immediate evaluation.

Court-Ordered Substance Abuse Treatment

Once this evaluation is on the record, it might be time to think about what help they need for substance use disorder. Professional help may be recommended which will force the situation into the court. With an application for a court-ordered evaluation, local law enforcement will accompany them to yet another evaluation with a behavioral health screening agency.

At this point, an attorney will be appointed to represent them fairly if their case needs to go to trial for them to receive involuntary treatment.

Similar to the Marchman Act in Florida law, the professionals who conduct the assessment might elect to recommend placement as soon as possible if there is an immediate danger. If there is no immediate or apparent risk, then they might simply recommend a treatment plan that can be refused.

Hearings for Addiction Treatment or Mental Health Services

Sometimes, people are desperate not to end up in treatment centers and may adamantly deny the real evidence that they pose a danger to themselves or others. If you want to force someone into rehab, it may come down to a court hearing.

The doctors who performed the assessment will present their case for why involuntary commitment is necessary. Friends and loved ones can testify regarding behavior and concerns that they see in daily life. Ultimately, involuntary rehab is up to the judge’s discretion.

The good news is that rehab programs can be ordered for up to one full year depending on drug abuse, alcohol misuse, or mental illness. Judges have the power to mandate treatment at any level: residential inpatient, outpatient treatment, or simply medication management with a licensed psychiatrist.

Most of the time, involuntary commitment will start with 90 days of treatment to be reassessed at that time for additional services.

Do Involuntary Commitment Laws Work?

If you love a person suffering from alcohol or drug addiction, you want to do whatever you can to help them through it — even if they won’t help themselves. Drug courts might be out of the picture if they can stick to this side of the law with their substance use, but that doesn’t mean you have no options.

The question is: does it really help your loved one to be involuntarily committed?

While alcohol and drug rehab may prevent them from causing harm to themselves in the here and now, it might not be the most advantageous course of treatment in the end. Many people who are committed to following a treatment plan are going to resist the help offered to them. They don’t see the need for all the fuss and may not be ready to move past substance use yet.

It may also damage your relationship with them in the here and now. Family members mean well, but they aren’t the ones who have to go to rehab. It could cost your loved one social standing, professional achievement, and more. They may be bitter and resentful toward you in the short term.

Of course, the main issue with forcing treatment for substance use disorders is that they may return to drugs and alcohol as soon as possible. This period of abstinence followed by indulgence could lead to serious harm and a potential drug overdose.

Why Choose Changes Healing Center If You Have to Go to Rehab?

It may be beneficial to allow your loved one to enroll in voluntary treatment before you go through the process of court-ordered treatment options for drug and alcohol rehab. We offer a comfortable place to land for both substance abuse and mental health issues.

If you have to go to rehab in Arizona, here is why you should choose Changes Healing Center.

Help for Every Phase of the Journey

Not everyone is well-suited to inpatient care or residential treatment. Changes Healing Center offers the entire continuum of care ranging from intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization to inpatient. There is also a sub-acute detox program (or medical detox program through our partner facilities) that can help you remain comfortable as your body goes through the early stages of withdrawal.

Our programs stretch from thirty days to ninety days, with some treatment options lasting longer to get you the support you need within the context of the local community.

Evidence-Based Treatment for Proven Outcomes

All patients admitted to our treatment centers are going to have access to a robust array of evidence-based treatments. These range from cognitive behavioral therapy to dialectical behavioral therapy as well as other proven treatments. Our experienced medical team may also help with medication if this seems to be the right fit for you and your struggles.

We might offer complementary therapies like art and music therapy or yoga therapy that can help you learn new coping skills to put in place after discharge.

Accredited Treatment for Your Basic Needs

Anyone who is thinking about the possibility of being involuntarily committed will want to ensure that they land at a facility with their safety and care in mind. Changes Healing Center is proud to be Joint Commission Accredited which means we uphold all of the standards of OSHA, CMS, and the stringent requirements of the Joint Commission itself.

You never have to worry about your standard of care while coping with the devastating effects of your substance abuse or mental health issues. Your care matters to us, whether it’s a voluntary commitment or not. All you have to do is ask for our around-the-clock help and we’ll have someone there to assist.

Get Help for Substance Abuse and Mental Health at Changes Healing Center

If you want to make rehab work for you, it might be time to turn to a facility that can help before a family member is forced to involuntarily commit you to a facility. You can take charge of your recovery here and now by reaching out to Changes Healing Center in Phoenix, Arizona. We can walk you through all of the treatment options available.

We can also help walk you through the stages of an involuntary commitment if you’re a loved one who wants to secure help for someone struggling with behavioral or mental health.

All it takes is a quick phone call with our enrollment team to start on the path to healing. We can verify your insurance benefits, secure a bed, and get the help you need as soon as possible. Reach out to us today to learn more.

References

1. Civil Mental Health Court. Civil Mental Health Court | Maricopa County, AZ. (n.d.).
2. Marchman Act. (n.d.).
3. Carroll, K. M., & Kiluk, B. D. (2017). Cognitive behavioral interventions for alcohol and drug use disorders: Through the stage model and back again. Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 31(8), 847–861.
4. Dimeff, L. A., & Linehan, M. M. (2008). Dialectical behavior therapy for substance abusers. Addiction science & clinical practice, 4(2), 39–47.
5. Aletraris, L., Paino, M., Edmond, M. B., Roman, P. M., & Bride, B. E. (2014). The use of art and music therapy in substance abuse treatment programs. Journal of addictions nursing, 25(4), 190–196.
6. Kuppili, P. P., Parmar, A., Gupta, A., & Balhara, Y. P. S. (2018). Role of Yoga in Management of Substance-use Disorders: A Narrative Review. Journal of neurosciences in rural practice, 9(1), 117–122.