Experiences filing for conservatorship for patients

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Psychanon 2000

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I was wondering if you guys get a lot of experience petitioning for conservatorship (long term involuntary commitment) for patients or if its usually a fellow/attending's job to do so.

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How are you defining long term?
 
well in CA, there's temporary which lasts for about a month until it gets turned into a permanent, which lasts a year, by a superior court judge.
 
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As an intern, an attending walked me through it, but I tried to do them more or less myself after this. It's not hard to do once you're walked through it, it just takes a while.


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I don't know about other states, but in california conservatorship doesn't necessarily mean long-term locked commitment, though that's one of the uses for it. In general it means a court rules that someone is not able to make decisions for themselves in the area of mental health treatment, and a surrogate decision maker is appointed (usually a county employee). That only allows the surrogate to give permission for psychiatric hospitalization and treatment. Other decisions, such as medical treatment, must be voluntary or go through a completely separate court proceeding.
 
As an intern, an attending walked me through it, but I tried to do them more or less myself after this. It's not hard to do once you're walked through it, it just takes a while.


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thanks! I had an attending help me through it as well. I was just wondering if its the norm for interns to do so.
 
I don't know about other states, but in california conservatorship doesn't necessarily mean long-term locked commitment, though that's one of the uses for it. In general it means a court rules that someone is not able to make decisions for themselves in the area of mental health treatment, and a surrogate decision maker is appointed (usually a county employee). That only allows the surrogate to give permission for psychiatric hospitalization and treatment. Other decisions, such as medical treatment, must be voluntary or go through a completely separate court proceeding.
thanks! but it seems to be county dependent because it seems certain counties send their conserved patients to board and cares while others seem to automatically go to an IMD.
 
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