Australian Capital Territory Consolidated Acts

MENTAL HEALTH (TREATMENT AND CARE) ACT 1994 - SECT 28

The ACAT may make a psychiatric treatment order in relation to a person if—

        (a)     the person has a mental illness; and

        (b)     the ACAT has reasonable grounds for believing that, because of the illness, the person is likely to—

              (i)     do serious harm to himself, herself or someone else; or

              (ii)     suffer serious mental or physical deterioration;

unless subject to involuntary psychiatric treatment; and

        (c)     the ACAT is satisfied that psychiatric treatment is likely to reduce the harm or deterioration (or the likelihood of harm or deterioration) mentioned in paragraph (b) and result in an improvement in the person's psychiatric condition; and

        (d)     the treatment cannot be adequately provided in a way that would involve less restriction of the freedom of choice and movement of the person than would result from the person being an involuntary patient.