Arizona makes it much easier than many other states to force a mentally disturbed person to get psychiatric help, even without evidence of dangerous behavior.
A provision in state law, little known outside the law enforcement and mental health systems, gives any adult the right to petition the court for a psychiatric evaluation and, if needed, court-ordered care for someone “persistently and acutely disabled” by symptoms of mental illness but unwilling to seek or follow medical advice.
Mass shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner of Tucson — who shouted at his college teachers, rambled incoherently to campus police and posted delusional tirades on the Internet — appears to fit the criteria for such a court-ordered evaluation, said Charles “Chick” Arnold, a leading Arizona expert on mental health and the law.
Yet no one sought such an intervention, and no evidence has emerged that Loughner received care of any kind.
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