Bill > H3587

This bill aims to increase the effectiveness and improve outcomes for treating individuals with severe mental illness in the community. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Defining "gravely disabled" as a condition where a person with a mental disorder is likely to experience serious harm or illness due to their inability to provide for their basic physical needs, including medical, psychiatric treatment, and shelter. 2. Defining "outpatient treatment" as any treatment that does not require continuous inpatient hospitalization. 3. Allowing eligible persons, such as physicians, mental health department employees, or family members, to petition the district court for the assisted outpatient treatment of an individual with a mental illness who meets certain criteria, including a history of non-compliance with treatment and a likelihood of experiencing grave disability or serious harm without supervision. 4. Establishing the process for the court to order assisted outpatient treatment, including the development and approval of a treatment plan, and the ability to amend the order if the individual is not complying with the terms. 5. Providing the director of the treatment program the ability to petition the court for inpatient commitment if the individual fails to comply with the outpatient treatment plan, or for termination of the assisted outpatient treatment order if it is no longer the least restrictive appropriate treatment. 6. Allowing any person to apply to the court to request that an individual be removed from assisted outpatient treatment.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H3587