The Medical Incapacity Hold: a policy on the involuntary medical hospitalization of patients who lack decisional capacity

Medically hospitalized patients who lack decisional capacity may request, demand, or attempt to leave the hospital despite grave risk to themselves. The treating physician in this scenario must determine how to safeguard such patients, including whether to attempt to keep them in the hospital. However, in many jurisdictions there are no laws that address this matter directly. In this absence, psychiatrists are often called upon to issue an involuntary psychiatric hold (civil commitment) to keep the patient from leaving.
Source: Psychosomatics - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Source Type: research