Learn More
The involuntary hospitalization of people experiencing mental health crises is a widespread practice across the US, as common as imprisonment in state and federal prisons. In spite of persistent concerns from service users and advocates, the impacts of involuntary treatment have been difficult to characterize, and causal inference limited by structural and ethical barriers. This panel will lead with important new research led by Dr. Welle utilizing administrative data from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and leveraging the quasi-random assignment of evaluating physicians in order to estimate causal effects of involuntary hospitalization on post-discharge death by suicide or overdose, violent crime and employment. For individuals whom some physicians would hospitalize but others would not, the team has found that hospitalization nearly doubles the probability of being charged with a violent crime or dying by suicide or overdose in the three months after evaluation.
Remaining panelists – Drs. Morgan Shields and Awais Aftab – will reflect on these provocative findings and share their own adjacent work. Specifically, Dr. Shields will focus on inpatient psychiatry, including common experiences in inpatient settings, and the potential role of inpatient iatrogenic harm with respect to post-discharge outcomes. Dr. Awais, a community psychiatrist and philosopher of psychiatry, will discuss ethical and political implications, as well as potential ways forward.
Can't attend live? Don't worry! The webinar will be recorded and sent to all registrants.
However, please note that live attendance is required for CE credits.
Written for policy makers and the general public who would like to be more educated on the realities and impacts of the current system, the report summarizes research on the current realities and recommended highly efficacious alternatives to forced treatment.
Mad Teat- Podcast | a Project of the Center for Mad Culture
This episode breaks down the alarming resurgence of asylum-like policies targeting disabled people, tracing the echoes of past abuses into today’s political landscape. As politicians propose work farms for the mentally ill and police detain people for appearing unstable, it’s clear that the rhetoric has shifted, but the oppressive mindset remains. We urgently examine how forced care is being weaponized and who truly benefits from these policies.
This conversation is too important to miss!
