Mental Health Association of Northwestern PA
Assisted Outpatient Treatment
Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) refers to a court order mandating that a person with a severe mental illness who does not understand they are ill and are at risk, adhere to a prescribed community treatment plan.
Presently, in the Pennsylvania Legislature, Senate Bill 226 is under consideration. Testimony was held on October 2, 2007 before the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. The testimony presented at the hearing is available here.
Additional References
In addition to the information presented at the senate hearing, these resources are suggested:
- American Psychiatric Association
- The American Psychiatric Association in this article, takes the position that "there is insufficient evidence" that this is effective. Further, it may not improve public safety, nor be more effective than voluntary services. Additionally, it may underminde the delivery of voluntary services and drive consumers away from the mental health system.
- Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
- In this article, it is suggested "Before making sweeping changes, proponents should review the research literature on involuntary outpatient commitment. These studies clearly show that it confers no benefit beyond accesss to effective community services." The author points to a study completed by the Rand Corporation reviewing the experience of eight states with laws allowing involuntary outpatient commitment and found "significant problems" in all.
- Cochrane Collaberation, a database of Systematic Reviews of health matters
- The summary:"The evidence found in this review suggests that compulsory community treatment may not be an effective alternative to standard care."