This five-page Illinois petition asserts that a person is subject to involuntary or judicial inpatient admission under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Clinicians meet it in emergency departments and psychiatric units when they act as petitioner. The facility files it with the circuit court along with examiners' certificates on IL462-2006, and the respondent receives a copy and a written statement of rights.
Any adult can be the petitioner; in practice it is often an emergency physician, psychiatrist or social worker, who completes the legal basis, the narrative, witnesses, family contacts and signature. Facility staff complete the admission and copy-delivery statements and the rights acknowledgment on pages 4 and 5, and a transporting peace officer may complete the petition.
Fill in the circuit court county and judicial circuit, the respondent's name and whether they are asserted to be subject to judicial or involuntary admission. Then select one or more legal bases, such as emergency inpatient admission by certificate with the name of the detaining facility, admission by court order, a voluntary admittee's discharge request or failure to reaffirm, continued admission, or developmental disability admission.
Check each standard that applies: mental illness with a reasonable expectation of conduct causing physical harm; inability to provide for basic physical needs; refusing or not adhering to treatment with expected deterioration to one of the first two standards; or developmental disability with expected serious physical harm in the near future. Indicate whether immediate hospitalization is needed to prevent harm.
State in detail the signs and symptoms of mental illness, prior diagnosis, treatment and hospitalizations, and any threats, behavior or pattern of behavior that support the petition. Include your own personal observations. The court reads this narrative to decide whether the facts meet the standards checked above, so tie each checked standard to specific facts. Attach additional pages if needed.
List witnesses who can prove the facts asserted. Then list the spouse, parent, guardian or substitute decision maker and a close relative, or a friend if there is none. If you cannot list them, describe the specific steps of the diligent inquiry you made to identify and locate them; attach pages as needed.
Check whether you have a legal interest or a financial interest in the matter and whether you are involved in litigation with the respondent. If any answer is yes, explain why it would not be practicable or possible for someone else to be the petitioner.
Indicate whether one or two Certificates of Examination are attached. If none, check the statement that no physician, qualified examiner or clinical psychologist was available or could examine the respondent despite diligent effort, and that an effort to get the respondent to appear voluntarily was made or would risk harm.
Answer whether a peace officer detained, took into custody or transported the respondent. If yes and the officer did not complete the petition, enter the transporting officer's name, badge number and employer. This information must be entered; it is not optional when an officer was involved.
Choose whether to be notified if the person is approved for voluntary or informal admission before adjudication, or is committed or discharged by the court; no choice means no notification. Confirm a good faith attempt to find a health care power of attorney or mental health treatment declaration. Sign with date, time, relationship to respondent, printed name, address and telephone number.
Facility staff record the date and time of admission and of petition completion and certify that, within 12 hours of admission, the respondent received a copy of the petition, an explanation of the Rights of Admittee and a copy of IL462-2001. Page 5 records the language the copy was provided in, the staff signature, and the individual's signature or a witness if they refuse.
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Petition for Involuntary/Judicial Admission
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Any adult can be the petitioner. The petition asks whether you have a legal or financial interest in the matter or are in litigation with the respondent; if so, you must explain why it would not be practicable for someone else to petition. A peace officer who transported the person may complete it, otherwise the officer's name, badge number and employer must be entered.
The form asks you to state in detail the signs and symptoms of mental illness, prior diagnosis, treatment and hospitalizations, any threats, behavior or pattern of behavior supporting the petition, and your personal observations. Attach extra pages if needed, and list witnesses who can prove the facts asserted.
The petition lets you indicate that one or two Certificates of Examination (IL462-2006) are attached, or that none could be obtained. Petitions based on a voluntary admittee's discharge request or failure to reaffirm require two certificates. For involuntary admission, a second examination by a psychiatrist must follow within 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.
Only if requested. Page 3 lets the petitioner ask to be notified if the person is approved for voluntary or informal admission before adjudication (staff use IL462-2203) or if the court commits or discharges them (IL462-2208M). Leaving the choice blank is treated as a decision not to be notified.