My brother inlaw keeps being put into rehab and keeps signing himself out.. my mother inlaw has had a heart attack from all the worry.. we have tried to help him tried to get him to meetings etc but nothing works.. my mother inlaw is on the verge of another heart attack and we can't take it anymore.. SO can we have him committed where he has to saty there to get better... im desperate for answers

To make the explanation easier I have given you the information from the NYDailyNews.com website, which is basically the information that you need, and in essence, as it says... it isn't easy to have someone committed

Committing mentally ill person ain't easy

BY Jordan Lite
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, February 1st 2008, 12:54 AM

Committing a mentally ill person is no easy task for his relatives or even his doctors.

The standard is the same in California and New York: The person must be an immediate danger to himself or others, or be unable to feed, clothe or shelter himself.

"Walking down the street completely psychotic, thinking you are the queen of Sheba, is not enough to get you into psychiatric treatment," said Jonathan Stanley, assistant director of the Treatment Advocacy Center in Arlington, Va.

Walking into oncoming traffic while thinking the same thoughts? "That'll get you committed," Stanley said.

In New York, two doctors must certify that a person needs to be hospitalized against his or her will.

Most states, including California, require a hearing after three to five days to keep the patient longer.

In New York, a person can be held for 60 days but is automatically eligible for a hearing to contest the hospitalization.

Families and loved ones also can petition the court to commit someone or go to cops and persuade them to take a patient to a psychiatric facility.

Being committed doesn't automatically translate into immediate treatment, unless the person consents to it or is "wildly assaultive or self-destructive," said Dr. Paul Appelbaum, director of Columbia University's division of psychiatry, law and ethics.

Doctors can give treatment to a person who objects only if a court hearing says it's necessary, Appelbaum said.

Tick

The law doesn't require anyone to 'get better' and live a normal life, whether from smoking, overeating, gambling, risky behavior - or drugs and alcohol, even if it wrecks homes and leads to an early death. We all have a right to destroying ourselves slowly. It's only when we clearly are presenting an immediate danger to ourselves and others that the law steps in. And defining that moment is never easy. You practically have to be screaming that you are doing it to end your life. Your family needs to draw the line, stop paying for rehab, and kick him out. He may then realize what he is doing and get help, he may not. It is his life to destroy.

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Originally Posted by lindalindalinda

my brother inlaw keeps being put into rehab and keeps signing himself out..

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You are talking about addiction not mental health, correct?

If that is the case, no, you cannot have him committed. He has a choice to ruin his life.

He can only be committed if he is a danger to himself and/or others. This basically means if he is suicidal or has threatened violence towards others.

The best thing to do is keep him as far away from the family as possible. He's not going to clean up his act until he hits rock bottom and is ready to do it on his own. No amount of forcing him or coercing him into rehab will help until he is ready to help himself.