title: Dangerousness and commitment of the mentally disordered in the United States.
abstract: This article describes recent developments in mental health laws in the United States, especially as they relate to uses of the concept of "dangerousness" in the civil and criminal commitment of the mentally ill. In addition to providing a brief overview of the U.S. legal system and noting the importance of the Rule of Law, we review the historical development and current status of the relevant laws, provide some basic epidemiological statistics, and refer to some of the considerable body of extant empirical research in the field.
authors.affiliation: NIMH, Rockville, MD 20857.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monahan
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D035082:Federal Government; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense; D033222:Judicial Role; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D028701:Patient Rights; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence