Voluntary admission of a mentally challenged person can occur when authorized medical personnel approves that a patient should be voluntarily admitted to a psychiatric health unit. The patient agrees to be admitted in their own will. Also, the medical officer should be satisfied that the patient would significantly benefit from the mental health facility.

This admission is usually carried out the same way as the admission to the general hospitals is undertaken. However, with voluntary admission unlike involuntary, the patient gives consent and willingness to be admitted for further mental health treatment.

However, the patient is not entirely free to leave the mental care unit, unlike the patients in general hospitals. Any individual above the age of 14 can ask for voluntary admission, or their caretaker can request it on their behalf (Gilhooley et al., 2017). The period of stay may depend on different factors, including the type of treatment as well as the decision that will be made by the psychiatrist. Once in the psychiatric unit, the doctor conducts a consultation before making an assessment.

Sources

Gilhooley, J., Umama-Agada, E., Asghar, M., McManus, S., Whitty, P., & Kelly, B. (2017).

Voluntary and involuntary psychiatric admissions: involuntary admission status. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 1-7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2017.44