Involuntary admission to a psychiatric hospital is justified when the patient is:
* An imminent danger to self
* An imminent danger to others
* Unable to care for themselves adequately
The criteria for involuntary admission come from the legal doctrine of police power (state as protector) and parens patriae (state as parent). Parens patriae allows the state to intervene and act as a surrogate parent for those who are unable to care for themselves or who may harm themselves. Police power allows the state to intervene if the patient is a danger to others.

A risk assessment is completed in an emergency department after arrest and before confinement. A forensic risk assessment is intended to protect the public from persons with known mental disorders and dangerous, violent, and criminal histories.

Arbitration is a process in which a third party reviews evidence from both sides and makes a legally binding decision to settle the case.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) detects early mild cognitive impairment across broad domains such as attention, concentration, executive functioning, and conceptual thinking. It can help differentiate between mild cognitive impairment and stress-induced forgetfulness.
Although other disorders can impact and disrupt cognition, the MOCA addresses broad domains including memory, attention, delayed recall, and orientation.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was the first national comprehensive privacy protection act. HIPAA guarantees patients four fundamental rights:
* To be educated about HIPAA privacy protection
* To have access to their medical records
* To request an amendment of their health information to which they object
* To require their permission for disclosure of their personal information