What is the assisted outpatient treatment process?
The patient is provided with free legal representation and extensive due process protections throughout the assisted outpatient treatment process. In the hearing, the court hears testimony and takes evidence from all the parties, including a doctor who has examined the patient.
What are the advantages of Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT)?
What are the advantages of Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT)? 1 It allows individuals to be ordered into treatment without ordering them into a hospital. 2 The criteria to place someone in assisted outpatient treatment are easier to meet than... 3 The law in some states (including NY) not only allows courts to commit the patient...
Can an Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program Director change a treatment order?
The director of an assisted outpatient treatment program needs court approval to make any material change in a treatment order unless the change was contemplated in the original order.
Who is eligible for assisted outpatient treatment?
The law includes strict eligibility criteria and numerous patient protections. Assisted outpatient treatment is only available to individuals who meet certain defined criteria. Patients can only be placed in the program by a court, which must first receive a petition from one of a defined group of individuals.
What is the process to petition for AOT for someone?
The petition must state: (1) that the person is present or believed to be present within the county where the petition is filed; (2) all the criteria necessary for placement in AOT; (3) the facts supporting the belief that the person meets all the criteria; and (4) that the subject of the petition has the right to ...
Is AOT voluntary?
Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) is not an alternative to voluntary treatment. It is a way to get services to those who refuse voluntary treatment.
What is an AOT system?
Program Goals. Assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), also known as outpatient commitment (OPC), is a civil legal procedure whereby a judge can order an individual with a serious mental illness to follow a court-ordered treatment plan in the community.
What is a AOT order?
Assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) is court-ordered treatment (including medication) for individuals with severe mental illness who meet strict legal criteria, e.g., they have a history of medication noncompliance.
What is Kevin's Law Michigan?
Kevin's Law helps to provide protection and care for individuals who have mental illnesses and may be impaired in their judgement about the need for treatment. Family and friends of the individual can petition the court to order outpatient mental health care.
How many states have AOT laws?
AOT in some form is authorized by statute in 47 states and the District of Columbia but is unevenly practiced and not available everywhere it is allowed. (In 2019, the states without AOT statutes were Connecticut, Maryland and Massachusetts).
Who is eligible for AOT?
Who is Eligible for AOT? Have a history of lack of compliance with treatment for mental illness which has led to: Two hospitalizations for mental illness in the preceding three years or.
What is Laura's Law California?
Laura's Law is California's state law that provides community-based, assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) to a small population of individuals who meet strict legal criteria and who – as a result of their mental illness – are unable to voluntarily access community mental health services.
What does an ATO stand for in mental health?
ATO, ATR. Alternate Treatment Order – an order from the Probate Court requesting an independent evaluation (“Alternative Treatment Report”) of an allegedly mentally ill adult prior to a commitment hearing, to determine if an alternative to hospitalization would be appropriate.
When an individual is in a Baker Act facility they have the right to?
§32.03 Patient Rights The Baker Act provides mental health patients with the following nine (9) fundamental rights: indi- vidual dignity; right to receive treatment; express and informed consent; quality treatment; communi- cation, abuse reporting and visits; care and custody of personal effects; voting in public ...
How does AOT work?
AOT also increases treatment adherence and eases the strain placed on family members or other primary caregivers. In some locations, AOT is used as a mechanism for preventing decompensation, hospitalization, incarceration, or other negative outcomes of non-treatment (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2017). In other locations, AOT is primarily used in connection with discharge planning with court-ordered services issued to help provide treatment continuity and a smooth transition between psychiatric hospitalization and the community (or, in some cases, between jail and the community)(Treatment Advocacy Center, 2017). In some states and communities, AOT is used for both prevention and discharge. Typically, violation of the court ordered conditions can result in an individual being evaluated and treated in a psychiatric facility
What is AOT in New Mexico?
The involuntary treatment of such persons in acute psychiatric hospitals and intermediate care facilities places a heavy burden upon state and local taxpayers in New Mexico. Evidenced- and community-based early intervention programs such as AOT can be used as an alternative to the existing, costly mechanisms for addressing the needs of this population. Assisted Outpatient Treatment, which targets the most seriously mentally ill who refuse voluntary treatment, can reverse this cost-shifting and has the potential to save state and local taxpayers money both in the short and long term.
What Are Assisted Outpatient Treatment Programs?
As a result of substance addiction and other mental illnesses, some individuals struggle to take care of themselves.
How Are They Different From Other Outpatient Treatment Programs?
Mental disorders and addiction treatment may have various programs and modalities since treatment approaches diversify and evolve. Outpatient treatment programs are treatments that are not in a hospital setting.
What Is The Success Rate of Assisted Outpatient Treatment Programs?
According to the reports based on two studies conducted on the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Law, AOT has a significant effect on reducing arrest, hospitalization, homelessness, and incarceration of people suffering from psychiatric disorders.
What States Have Assisted Outpatient Treatment Programs
According to Mental Illness Policy, 43 states in the United States have some form of AOT Programs. However, these programs still need to be implemented widely and better in terms of implementation. However, in 2017, according to Treatment Advocacy Center, forty-seven states permitted AOT. This excludes Connecticut, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
What is AOT in mental health?
It is a 2-way commitment that requires mental health systems to serve participants at the same time it commits participants to adhere to their treatment plans. It is similar in intent to conditional release, mental health courts, and conservatorship-all of which seek to improve the person’s adherence to a treatment plan and quality of life.
Is AOT a cure all?
AOT is here to stay, not as a cure-all but rather as another tool to help treat selected patients who are otherwise the most difficult to treat. Dr. Darold Treffert summarized the rationale for treatment approaches such as AOT nicely:
Is assisted outpatient treatment effective?
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, American Psychiatric Association and similar organizations have deemed assisted outpatient treatment to be an effective intervention for eligible individuals. Although national data have not been developed, a substantial body of research has reported positive outcomes from AOT for the target population in specific states and communities (e.g., New York, North Carolina and Ohio, among others). Despite differences in policy and practice among locations, these studies have consistently found lower rates of rehospitalization, arrest, re-arrest, incarceration, homelessness, violence and suicide for participating patients living in their communities under AOT orders for six months or longer.
Is voluntary adherence to psychiatric care preferable to court order?
Voluntary adherence to needed psychiatric care is always preferable to a court order. For individuals with serious mental illness who decline voluntary services and meet criteria, AOT petitions may come before the court. Familiarity with the history, policies and evidence for the practice of outpatient commitment can help judges adjudicate these cases.
