I don't know where you live or what the laws regarding it might be there. I know that here where I live the answer would be yes. I took my daughter to the emergency room because she said she had thoughts of killing herself (had just recently been put on meds for depression and then went through a break-up). At the hospital they posted a police guard at the door saying that they were required by law to prevent her from leaving once we were there until the doctor was sure she wouldn't harm herself. After she was there for a few hours she realized she didn't really want to die, just wanted not to have to deal with the break-up and only needed a tranquilizer to help her cope. Long story short, the first doctor wanted to force admission and only when I had them really explain what it meant did she object. She then had to be interviewed by an outside source and if they had they agreed with the first dr she would have been admitted against her will and could have been held until they felt she could be released or we were able to get a judge to release her (they had up to 72 hours to decide). We would only have been allowed to see her for 1 hour a day so I know what you must be going through.
Check with the hospital and have them explain what their legal position is and your legal rights. If you have social services in your area check with them too.
Good luck to you both.
Yes, they do have the right to hold her there until she is given a good going over by a "shrink", But, maybe that wouldnt be so bad in her case. Steve, if she took all those pill's, then there is something going on that hopefully a good dr. can help her with. It's something beyond your control and sadly her's right now. The main thing is now that she comply's with the dr's, and in no time she will be home with you and hopefully on the road to recovery.
Good luck.
I don't what the laws are in the state that you live in - I agree with hope for more's suggestion about talking to a social worker about this.
Steve, I think that you need to get to the bottom of this as 100 ativan is an enormous amount of pills to swallow. She is so lucky that she survived this. I know that it's frightening for you right now as it's a crisis and you feel like you don't have control over the situation...both re: your wife's health but now the forced confinement.
Hopefully, through this episode, you will find a good therapist for her so she can get some help. This was her cry for help...
Laws very by state in Wiscosin I believe it is a 48 hour hold but I know many areas are 72 hours. A shrink can of course wave this order once he examines the patient.
I am not sure how helpful this will be since I don't know where you are but my understanding was that if a person voluntarily committed himself/herself they could leave at any time, without medical consent. If someone else committed him/her, the person who did the committing could legally have the one committed forced to stay institutionalized. It sounds like you both voluntarily went to the hospital. Probably they do have to have a psychiatrist speak to her to determine whether or not she should remain in the psych ward. I THINK this is done to protect the hospital.
Since I am suicidal, it seems to me that taking that many pills is a serious attempt but that she realized she wanted to kill the pain, not herself. Drinking and drugs is a common way to commit suicide (sounds awful and cold but I believe it). Has a shrink seen her yet? If they won't let you communicate with her, you might need legal help.
lonewolf
I've heard there was a 72 hour hold. I know in some cases that is the case. However, some places can hold you longer and will if you have insurance coverage. If you don't they let you out.
Feel sorry for you and I feel for you your best bet is to get her off Ativan immediately or any of the benzo-class drugs and search for alternative medications such as herbs and teas most of the drugs on the market are deadly and make person want to kill himself and the only alternative to it is to keep raising the dosage to the point of liver and kidney failure and then once you try to get off of seizures will kill you get her off of it immediately