title: Outpatient commitment: the state of empirical research on its outcomes.
abstract: This article briefly describes the historical conditions in the origin and development of outpatient commitment that framed the discourse on its merits and the empirical studies on its outcomes. It divides those empirical studies into two sets on the basis of the questions addressed and critically reviews them. The review pays particular attention to the latest studies that were able to randomize subjects to experimental and control conditions and that were able to offer enhanced services. Finally, this article presents issues not addressed by the empirical studies on outpatient commitment but that need to be addressed in order to understand the choice of using the law to force persons with mental illness to comply with treatment and receive services in the community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University, Box 8107, Raleigh, NC 27695-8107, USA.
authors.forename: Virginia Aldige
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Hiday
mesh_terms: D016223:Advance Directives; D003068:Coercion; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D036262:Empirical Research; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D037141:Mandatory Programs; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D009519:New York City; D009657:North Carolina; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012107:Research Design; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D035141:Voluntary Programs