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Tex. Health & Safety Code § 574.034

ORDER FOR TEMPORARY INPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Known as the Texas Mental Health Code

The act spans §§ 571–580 (237 sections).

Applied in 77 court decisions — leading case Mezick v. State (1996)

Most recently applied in United States v. Christopher Perkins (May 2023)

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 1, eff

How often courts cite this section

19922000201020202023120
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(a) The judge may order a proposed patient to receive court-ordered temporary inpatient mental health services only if the judge or jury finds, from clear and convincing evidence, that:

(1) the proposed patient is a person with mental illness; and

(2) as a result of that mental illness the proposed patient:

(A) is likely to cause serious harm to the proposed patient;

(B) is likely to cause serious harm to others; or

(C) is:

(i) suffering severe and abnormal mental, emotional, or physical distress;

(ii) experiencing substantial mental or physical deterioration of the proposed patient's ability to function independently, which is exhibited by the proposed patient's inability, except for reasons of indigence, to provide for the proposed patient's basic needs, including food, clothing, health, or safety; and

(iii) unable to make a rational and informed decision as to whether or not to submit to treatment.

(b) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 582 (S.B. 362), Sec. 27(1), eff. September 1, 2019.

(c) If the judge or jury finds that the proposed patient meets the commitment criteria prescribed by Subsection (a), the judge or jury must specify which criterion listed in Subsection (a)(2) forms the basis for the decision.

(d) To be clear and convincing under Subsection (a), the evidence must include expert testimony and, unless waived, evidence of a recent overt act or a continuing pattern of behavior that tends to confirm:

(1) the likelihood of serious harm to the proposed patient or others; or

(2) the proposed patient's distress and the deterioration of the proposed patient's ability to function.

(e) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 582 (S.B. 362), Sec. 27(1), eff. September 1, 2019.

(f) Repealed by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 582 (S.B. 362), Sec. 27(1), eff. September 1, 2019.

(g) An order for temporary inpatient mental health services shall provide for a period of treatment not to exceed 45 days, except that the order may specify a period not to exceed 90 days if the judge finds that the longer period is necessary.

(h) A judge may not issue an order for temporary inpatient mental health services for a proposed patient who is charged with a criminal offense that involves an act, attempt, or threat of serious bodily injury to another person.

(i) Repealed by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1170, Sec. 11, eff. September 1, 2013.

Official source: Texas Constitution and Statutes. Reproduced from public-domain Texas statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.