Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
Civil commitment statutes allow qualified individuals to petition for court-mandated commitment for someone with a substance use disorder (SUD). Despite a lack of empirical evidence showing efficacy of involuntary commitment, these statutes are prevalent worldwide. We examined perspectives on civil commitment among family members and close friends of people who use illicit opioids in Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Findings/Key points
Despite participants’ uncertainty and the harms stemming from civil commitment, including increased risk of overdose after forced abstinence and the use of corrections facilities, family members resorted to this mechanism to reduce immediate overdose risk. Our findings indicate that peer support groups are an appropriate forum to disseminate information about evidenced-based treatment and that family members and others close to those with SUD often lack adequate support for, and respite from, the stress of caring for them.
Design/methods
Semi-structured interviews (n=22) and a quantitative survey (n=260)
