Does Court-Ordered Treatment for Mental Health Work? - Health Blog - WSJ

Does Court-Ordered Treatment for Mental Health Work? - Health Blog - WSJ: "By Shirley S. Wang "Researchers from Duke University Medical Center found that those who were mandated to get outpatient treatment were substantially less likely to be subsequently hospitalized. Those studied were also more likely to receive intensive outpatient case management and more likely to be getting medication appropriate to their diagnosis, according to Jeffrey Swanson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke and one of the authors of the report. The report examined data from hospital admission records, case manager reports and evaluations for 6,919 individuals covered by AOT orders since 1999. Researchers compared individuals before and after they were mandated to receive treatment. Some people voluntarily receiving services known as assertive community treatment also were compared with those receiving these services under court order. "