The efficacy of involuntary outpatient treatment in Massachusetts
Abstract
One means to address some of the unintended consequences of the shift of treatment for individuals with serious mental illness from hospitals to communities has been involuntary outpatient treatment (IOT). Using Massachusetts data, 19 patients with court orders for IOT were matched to all and to best fits on demographic and clinical variables, and then to individuals with the closest fit on utilization before the IOT date. Outcomes indicated the IOT group had significantly fewer admissions and hospital days after the court order. The full impact of IOT requires more study, particularly directed toward IOT's effects on insight and quality of life.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Even when studies have used control groups, it is difficult to know whether to attribute any improvement to compulsory community treatment or to the non-specific effects of increased contact with healthcare professionals.
“However, even when studies have used control groups, it is difficult to know whether to attribute any improvement to CCT, or to the non-specific effects of increased contact with healthcare professionals (Swartz 1995; Torrey 1995; Geller 1998).”
From Compulsory community and involuntary outpatient treatment for people with severe mental disorders. (2017) · cites this paper as Geller 1998
Cites
(1979) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 11,252 · see citing works
Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences
McGinn, L. C. (1957) · Journal of the Franklin Institute · doi:10.1016/0016-0032(57)90766-4 · Cited by 7,284 · see citing works
Quasi-experimentation: Design and analysis issues for field settings
Shrout, P. E. (1980) · Evaluation and Program Planning · doi:10.1016/0149-7189(80)90063-4 · Cited by 6,091 · see citing works
Non-Parametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences.
Stuart, A., & Siegel, S. (1957) · Economica · doi:10.2307/2551606 · Cited by 3,388 · see citing works
The promise and peril of involuntary outpatient commitment.
Mulvey, E. P., Geller, J. L., & Roth, L. H. (1987) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.42.6.571 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Self-citationThe North Carolina experience with outpatient commitment: A critical appraisal
Hiday, V. A., & Scheid‐Cook, T. L. (1987) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/0160-2527(87)90026-4 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Coercion and Aggressive Community Treatment
Dennis, D. L., & Monahan, J. T. (1996) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-9727-5 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
A national survey of the use of outpatient commitment
(1995) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.46.8.778 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Impact of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment on the Revolving-Door Syndrome in North Carolina
Fernandez, G. A., & Nygard, S. (1990) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.41.9.1001 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
A Follow-up of Chronic Patients Committed to Outpatient Treatment
Hiday, V. A., & Scheid‐Cook, T. L. (1989) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.40.1.52 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Treffert, D. A. (1973) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.130.9.1041 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Consumer perceptions of pressure and force in psychiatric treatments
Lucksted, A. A., & Coursey, R. D. (1995) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.46.2.146 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
In Again, Out Again: Preliminary Evaluation of a State Hospital's Worst Recidivists
Geller, J. L. (1986) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.37.4.386 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Self-citationInpatient Stays Before and After Outpatient Commitment
Zanni, G. R., & deVeau, L. (1986) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.37.9.941 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Hiday, V. A., & Goodman, J. R. R. (1982) · The Journal of Psychiatry & Law · doi:10.1177/009318538201000106 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Involuntary Outpatient Commitment in Arizona: A Retrospective Study
Putten, R. A. V., Santiago, J. M., & Berren, M. R. (1988) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.39.9.953 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Involuntary Outpatient Treatment
Geller, J. L. (1990) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.41.7.749 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Self-citationCompelling treatment in the community: distorted doctrines and violated values.
Schwartz, S. J., & Costanzo, C. E. (1987) · PubMed · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Psychiatric abuse and legal reform
Stone, A. A. (1982) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/0160-2527(82)90012-7 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Conservatorship for gravely disabled psychiatric patients: a four-year follow-up study
Lamb, H. R., & Weinberger, L. (1992) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.149.7.909 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Torrey, E. F. (1995) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.46.4.407 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
The Quandaries of Enforced Community Treatment and Unenforceable Outpatient Commitment Statutes
Geller, J. L. (1986) · The Journal of Psychiatry & Law · doi:10.1177/0093185386014001-206 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationTherapeutic Use of Conservatorship in the Treatment of Gravely Disabled Psychiatric Patients
Lamb, H. R., & Weinberger, L. E. (1993) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.44.2.147 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Therapeutic use of conservatorship in the treatment of gravely disabled psychiatric patients
Lamb, H. R., & Weinberger, L. E. (2001) · New Directions for Mental Health Services · doi:10.1002/yd.23320019009 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Geller, J. L. (1996) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.47.11.1157 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citationCivil commitment to outpatient psychotherapy: a case study.
Schneider-Braus, K. (1986) · PubMed · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
2 of the 28 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Swartz, M. S., Swanson, J. W., Wagner, H. R., Burns, B. J., Hiday, V. A., & Borum, R. (1999) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.156.12.1968 · Cited by 337 · see citing works
Compulsory community and involuntary outpatient treatment for people with severe mental disorders
Kisely, S. R., & Campbell, L. A. (2014) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004408.pub4 · Cited by 320 · see citing works
Assessing the New York City involuntary outpatient commitment pilot program
Steadman, H. J., Gounis, K., Dennis, D., Hopper, K., Roche, B., Swartz, M., & Robbins, P. C. (2001) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.52.3.330 · Cited by 312 · see citing works
Swanson, J. W., Swartz, M. S., Wagner, H. R., Burns, B. J., Borum, R., & Hiday, V. A. (2000) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.176.4.324 · Cited by 266 · see citing works
International experiences of using community treatment orders
Churchill, R. C., Owen, G. S., Singh, S. P., & Hotopf, M. H. (2006) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e622832007-001 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Outpatient Commitment: What, Why, and for Whom
Torrey, Ε. F., & Zdanowicz, M. T. (2001) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.52.3.337 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Can Involuntary Outpatient Commitment Reduce Arrests among Persons with Severe Mental Illness?
Swanson, J. W., Borum, R., Swartz, M. S., Hiday, V. A., Wagner, H. R., & Burns, B. J. (2001) · Criminal Justice and Behavior · doi:10.1177/0093854801028002002 · Cited by 158 · see citing works
Compulsory community and involuntary outpatient treatment for people with severe mental disorders
Kisely, S. R., Campbell, L. A., & Preston, N. J. (2011) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004408.pub3 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Compulsory community and involuntary outpatient treatment for people with severe mental disorders.
Kisely, S. R., Campbell, L. A., & O'Reilly, R. (2017) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004408.pub5 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Outpatient commitment: The state of empirical research on its outcomes.
Hiday, V. A. (2003) · Psychology Public Policy and Law · doi:10.1037/1076-8971.9.1-2.8 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
Swartz, M. S., & Swanson, J. W. (2004) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/070674370404900903 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Effectiveness of community treatment orders: The international evidence
Rugkåsa, J. (2016) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0706743715620415 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Compulsory community and involuntary outpatient treatment for people with severe mental disorders
Kisely, S. R., Campbell, L. A., & Preston, N. J. (2005) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004408.pub2 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Preston, N. J., Kisely, S. R., & Xiao, J. (2002) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.324.7348.1244 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Barnett, P., Matthews, H., Lloyd-Evans, B., Mackay, E., Pilling, S., & Johnson, S. (2018) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(18)30382-1 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Swartz, M. S., Swanson, J. W., Wagner, H. R., Burns, B. J., & Hiday, V. A. (2001) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/00005053-200109000-00003 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Thinking Carefully About Outpatient Commitment
Appelbaum, P. S. (2001) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.52.3.347 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Impact of compulsory community treatment on admission rates
Kisely, S. R., Xiao, J., & Preston, N. J. (2004) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.184.5.432 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Elbogen, E. B., Swanson, J. W., & Swartz, M. S. (2003) · Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/01.nmd.0000092195.22555.12 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Ambivalence about community treatment orders
Dawson, J., Romans, S. E., Gibbs, A., & Ratter, N. (2003) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0160-2527(03)00035-9 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Community Treatment Orders: Profile of a Canadian Experience
O’Brien, A.-M., & Farrell, S. (2005) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/070674370505000106 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Compulsory community mental health treatment: Literature review
O'Brien, A. J., McKenna, B. G., & Kydd, R. R. (2009) · International Journal of Nursing Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2009.02.006 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
The evolution of outpatient commitment in the USA: From conundrum to quagmire
Geller, J. L. (2006) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2005.09.003 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Self-citationGalon, P. A., & WINEMAN, N. M. (2010) · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apnu.2009.12.005 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Involuntary outpatient treatment as “desintitutionalized coercion”: The net-widening concerns
Geller, J. L., Fisher, W. H., Grudzinskas, A. J., Clayfield, J. C., & Lawlor, T. (2006) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2006.08.003 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Self-citationUse of Outpatient Commitment or Related Civil Court Treatment Orders in Five U.S. Communities
Swartz, M. S., Swanson, J. W., Kim, M., & Petrila, J. P. (2006) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.57.3.343 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
The Long-Term Effect of Outpatient Commitment on Service Use
Rohland, B. M., Rohrer, J. E., & Richards, C. C. (2000) · Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research · doi:10.1023/a:1021338208677 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Involuntary Outpatient Commitment and Homelessness in Persons with Severe Mental Illness
Compton, S. N., Swanson, J. W., Wagner, H. R., Swartz, M. S., Burns, B. J., & Elbogen, E. B. (2003) · Mental Health Services Research · doi:10.1023/a:1021755408267 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Harris, A. W. F., Chen, W., Jones, S., Hulme, M. J., Burgess, P. M., & Sara, G. E. (2018) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0004867418758920 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Debating Outpatient Commitment: Controversy, Trends, and Empirical Data
Petrila, J. P., Ridgely, M. S., & Borum, R. (2003) · Crime & Delinquency · doi:10.1177/0011128702239240 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
The Effectiveness and Ethical Justification of Psychiatric Outpatient Commitment
Zanni, G. R., & Stavis, P. F. (2007) · The American Journal of Bioethics · doi:10.1080/15265160701638678 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
PLC or TLC: Is outpatient commitment the/an answer?
Wales, H. W., & Hiday, V. A. (2006) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2006.08.001 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Does involuntary out-patient treatment work?
O’Reilly, R. L. (2001) · Psychiatric Bulletin · doi:10.1192/pb.25.10.371 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Does compulsory or supervised community treatment reduce ‘revolving door’ care?
Kisely, S. R., & Campbell, L. A. (2007) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.107.035956 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Human rights of the mentally ill in I ndonesia
Nurjannah, I., Mills, J. E., Park, T., & Usher, K. J. (2014) · International Nursing Review · doi:10.1111/inr.12153 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Xiao, J., Preston, N. J., & Kisely, S. R. (2004) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/j.1440-1614.2004.01429.x · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Kisely, S. R., Campbell, L. A., Preston, N. J., & Xiao, J. (2006) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2006.01.006 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
The utility of outpatient civil commitment: Investigating the evidence
Segal, S. P. (2020) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2020.101565 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Galon, P., & Wineman, N. M. (2011) · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apnu.2010.10.004 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Kisely, S. R., Xiao, J., & Jian, L. (2015) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.09.027 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Outpatient Commitment and Its Alternatives: Questions Yet to Be Answered
MORRISSEY, J. P., Desmarais, S. L., & Domino, M. E. (2014) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201400052 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Involuntary outpatient treatment in patients with severe mental illness: A one-year follow-up study
Calatayud, G. L., Hernández-Viadel, M., Bellido-Rodríguez, C., Cañete-Nicolás, C., Asensio-Pascual, P., Crespo, R. C., & Cercós, C. L. (2013) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2013.11.021 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Coercion in Mental Health Care
Hiday, V. A., Swartz, M. S., Swanson, J. W., Borum, R., & Wagner, H. R. (2005) · Kluwer Academic Publishers eBooks · doi:10.1007/0-306-47558-8_8 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Community Treatment Orders: Ethical Practice in an Era of Magical Thinking
Everett, B. A. (2001) · Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health · doi:10.7870/cjcmh-2001-0001 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Lawyers' attitudes toward involuntary treatment.
Luchins, D. J., Cooper, A. E., Hanrahan, P. A., & Heyrman, M. J. (2006) · PubMed · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Hospital Utilization Outcomes Following Assignment to Outpatient Commitment
Segal, S. P. (2021) · Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research · doi:10.1007/s10488-021-01112-y · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Hernández-Viadel, M., Nicolás, C. C., Calatayud, G. L., Prieto, J. F. P., & Millan, R. T. (2007) · Psiquiatría Biológica · doi:10.1016/s1134-5934(07)73254-2 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Galon, P. A., Wineman, N. M., & Grande, T. (2012) · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.apnu.2011.07.001 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Tratamiento ambulatorio involuntario: opinión de las personas implicadas
Hernández-Viadel, M. (2007) · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Kisely, S. R., & Preston, N. J. (2003) · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004408 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Involuntary outpatient treatment (iot) for severe mental patients: current situation in Spain.
Cañete-Nicolás, C., Hernández-Viadel, M., Bellido-Rodríguez, C., Calatayud, G. L., Asensio-Pascual, P., Prieto, J. P., Crespo, R. C., & Cercós, C. L. (2012) · PubMed · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Hernández-Viadel, M., Nicolás, C. C., Prieto, J. F. P., Calatayud, G. L., & Beneyto, M. G. (2010) · Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental · doi:10.1016/j.rpsm.2010.03.001 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Is mandatory outpatient treatment effective?
O'Reilly, R. L., & Gray, J. E. (2005) · Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health · doi:10.7870/cjcmh-2005-0015 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Compulsory psychiatric treatment checklist: Instrument development and clinical application
Brissos, S., Vicente, F., Oliveira, J. M., Sobreira, G. S., Gameiro, Z., Moreira, C. A., da Costa, M. P., Queirós, M., Mendes, E., Renca, S., et al. (2017) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2017.07.004 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Tratamiento ambulatorio involuntario (TAI) para personas con enfermedad mental grave
Hernández-Viadel, M., Prieto, J. F. P., Nicolás, C. C., Calatayud, G. L., & Millán, T. R. (2006) · Psiquiatría Biológica · doi:10.1016/s1134-5934(06)75360-x · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Johnson, K. L., Parish, W. J., Theis, E. N., Dorn, R. A. V., Callahan, L. A., Swanson, J. W., & Swartz, M. S. (2025) · Psychiatric Research and Clinical Practice · doi:10.1176/appi.prcp.20240162 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Hernández-Viadel, M., Nicolás, C. C., Prieto, J. F. P., Calatayud, G. L., & Beneyto, M. G. (2010) · Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental (English Edition) · doi:10.1016/s2173-5050(10)70009-1 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Commentary: the search for a formula to relate competence, coercion, and mandated treatment.
Grudzinskas, A. J. (2002) · PubMed · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citationNurjannah, I. (2023) · ResearchOnline - JCU (James Cook University) · doi:10.25903/dacc-q275
Eisenberg, M. M., Hennessy, M. H., Coviello, D., Hanrahan, N. P., & Blank, M. B. (2016) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-016-1517-4
A REVIEW ON MACHINE LEARNING AN ITS USE IN MODERN AGE
Kumar, A. (2018) · Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research
A REVIEW PAPER ON NANOMATERIALS AND WATER TREATEMENT
Singh, J. (2018) · Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research
- Authors
- Geller, J., Grudzinskas, A. J., McDermeit, M., Fisher, W. H., & Lawlor, T.
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (US)
- Chestnut Health Systems (US)
- Venue
- Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research
- Published
- 1998-01
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 271-285
- ISSN
- 0894-587X (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3289
- OpenAlex
- W1587931337
- Cited by
- 61
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 5.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network (American Medical Association) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychiatric care and mental health services
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies
- Keywords
- involuntary outpatient treatment, court-ordered treatment, severe mental illness, deinstitutionalization, hospitalization, length of hospital stay, community mental health services, Massachusetts
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Ambulatory Care, Analysis of Variance, Mental Disorders, Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders, Female, Humans, Length of Stay, Male, Massachusetts, Patient Admission, Quality of Life, Program Evaluation, Matched-Pair Analysis, Mental Competency, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Statistics, Nonparametric
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
