Question 1

People must be judged ______ to be psychiatrically (civilly) committed.

Accepted Answer

Psychiatric commitment involves involuntary hospitalization and restricting a person's freedoms. This is considered a last resort and is only done when a person is deemed to be a danger to themselves or others and mentally ill. Therefore, option D is the most appropriate choice as it combines both criteria for psychiatric commitment.

Question 2

It was not until ______ that the United States Supreme Court ruled that persons must be judged both "mentally ill" and a clear and present danger to themselves or others
Before they may be involuntarily hospitalized.

Accepted Answer

This ruling was established in 1979, setting a precedent that individuals must be both mentally ill and a clear and present danger to themselves or others before they can be involuntarily committed to a hospital.

Question 3

People who are placed in psychiatric institutions because they were acquitted of a crime by reason of insanity are committed through a process of _______ commitment.

Accepted Answer

Individuals who are acquitted of a crime by reason of insanity are committed through a process of criminal commitment, which involves placement in a psychiatric institution for treatment and evaluation. This is different from voluntary commitment, which occurs when an individual decides to seek psychiatric care, and civil commitment, which is a legal process for involuntary commitment of individuals who are deemed a danger to themselves or others. Institutional commitment is not a commonly recognized term in the context of psychiatric commitment.

Question 4

People who are placed in psychiatric institutions because they show abnormal behaviors and are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others are committed through a process of ______
Commitment.

Accepted Answer

The process of commitment for individuals who exhibit abnormal behaviors and are considered to pose a threat to themselves or others is a civil commitment. This process allows for individuals to be hospitalized against their will, but only after a legal process involving a court hearing and evaluation by mental health professionals. A voluntary commitment, on the other hand, is when a person willingly enters a psychiatric facility for treatment. Institutional commitment refers to the confinement of individuals in institutions such as prisons, while criminal commitment involves the court-ordered hospitalization of a person with a mental illness who has committed a crime.

Question 5

One of the most vocal and persistent critics of civil commitment statutes has been ______.

Accepted Answer

Thomas Szasz has been a vocal and persistent critic of civil commitment statutes, arguing that they violate individuals' civil liberties and are often used to control dissent and punish individuals for their beliefs. He has written extensively on the topic, including in his influential book "The Myth of Mental Illness."

Question 6

Someone who is in a mental hospital as a result of ______ can leave the hospital whenever she or he desires.

Accepted Answer

Someone who voluntarily checks themselves into a mental hospital has the right to leave whenever they choose, as they have not been involuntarily committed.

Question 7

Thomas Szasz, whom the text describes as stridently opposed to the entire concept of civil commitment, was a ______.

Accepted Answer

The text mentions that Thomas Szasz is a psychiatrist who was "stridently opposed to the entire concept of civil commitment."

Question 8

Appearing before a U.S. district court, Jared Loughner was found to be ________.

Accepted Answer

Jared Loughner was found incompetent to stand trial due to mental illness, specifically schizophrenia, which affected his ability to understand the proceedings and assist in his defense.

Question 9

Mental health professionals tend to ______ dangerousness in mental health patients.

Accepted Answer

Mental health professionals tend to overpredict dangerousness in mental health patients, often erring on the side of caution due to the potential consequences of underestimating a patient's risk of harm to themselves or others.

Question 10

The legal process of placing a person in a mental institution, even against his or her will, is known as ______ commitment.

Accepted Answer

Civil commitment is the legal process of involuntarily confining a person to a mental institution for treatment because of a mental illness. This process is initiated by a mental health professional or legal authority, and typically involves a court hearing to determine if the individual meets the legal criteria for commitment. In contrast, voluntary commitment involves a person willingly seeking treatment and agreeing to be admitted to a mental institution. Criminal commitment is a legal process by which a person is ordered by a court to receive mental health treatment as a condition of their sentence for a criminal offense. Institutional commitment is not a recognized legal term in the context of mental health treatment.

Question 11

The Supreme Court ruled in Addington v. Texas that individuals can be hospitalized involuntarily if they are ______.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court ruled in Addington v. Texas that individuals can be hospitalized involuntarily if they are mentally ill and dangerous to themselves or others. Therefore, option C which includes both scenarios is the correct answer. Options A, B and D are either too specific or too general and do not fully encompass the ruling of the Supreme Court.

Question 12

Psychiatric commitment is the same as ______ commitment.

Accepted Answer

Psychiatric commitment refers to the involuntary admission of a patient to a psychiatric facility for treatment. This type of commitment is also known as civil commitment, as it occurs under civil law rather than criminal law. Voluntary commitment, on the other hand, occurs when a patient chooses to seek care at a psychiatric facility. Institutional commitment is a more general term that refers to any form of confinement in an institution, such as a prison or hospital. Criminal commitment occurs when a person is found not guilty by reason of insanity and is committed to a psychiatric facility as a result.

Question 13

The legal process of confining a person found not guilty by reason of insanity in a mental institution is called ______.

Accepted Answer

Criminal commitment refers to the legal process of confining a person found not guilty by reason of insanity in a mental institution.

Question 14

The formal determination of Jared Loughner's mental status at the time of the shooting he committed was__________.

Accepted Answer

Jared Loughner's mental status was never formally determined in court because he pled guilty to the charges, which negated the need for a formal determination of his mental status at the time of the shooting.

Question 15

When an individual seeks admission to a mental hospital for treatment of his or her own volition, it is known as ______ hospitalization.

Accepted Answer

Voluntary hospitalization means that the individual has willingly admitted themselves for treatment, without any legal or criminal pressure. Civil hospitalization would be if the person was deemed a danger to themselves or others and was involuntarily hospitalized through civil commitment procedures. Criminal hospitalization would involve someone being hospitalized as a result of being found guilty of a crime by a court of law. Institutional hospitalization is a more general term that refers to being hospitalized in any type of facility, whether voluntary or involuntary.

Question 16

The court case in which the court found that individuals must be judged to be both mentally ill and to present a clear and present danger to themselves or others in order to be involuntarily
Hospitalized was ______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The court case in which the court...

Question 17

______ attempted to assassinate Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

Accepted Answer

Jared Loughner is the only one out of the given options who attempted to assassinate Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, James Earl Ray assassinated Martin Luther King Jr., and Theodore Bundy was a serial killer who murdered numerous people.

Question 18

Which statement is true about the prediction of dangerousness by mental health professionals?

Accepted Answer

Mental health professionals often err on the side of caution in predicting dangerousness to avoid potential harm that could result from underestimating a person's capacity for violence. This approach reflects a preference for minimizing the risk of violence, even if it means some individuals might be inaccurately deemed a higher risk than they are.

Question 19

Clinical predictions of dangerousness are generally less accurate than ______.

Accepted Answer

Clinical predictions of dangerousness are generally less accurate than a layperson's predictions based on evidence of past violent behavior because laypersons often rely on concrete evidence of past behavior, which is a strong predictor of future behavior, whereas clinical predictions may involve more subjective judgment and potential biases.

Question 20

Both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association have gone on record stating that ______ can reliably predict violence among those they treat.

Accepted Answer

Neither psychologists nor psychiatrists can reliably predict violence among those they treat, as human behavior is complex and influenced by a multitude of factors that cannot be fully predicted.

Quiz 15: Abnormal Psychology and the Law