A Form 3 is a legal tool that allows person to be detained for up to 14 days in a psychiatric facility in Ontario. On a Form 3, a person is an "involuntary patient" and they are not allowed to leave the hospital.
Once the Form 3 expires, a physician can decide to issue another form to keep the person at the hospital for longer. Or they may allow the form to lapse and the person may be free to go.
If a person's condition improves and they no longer present a risk to themselves or others, they may be discharged - even if the Form 3 has not expired.
For more information about Form 3s, check out the video below.
Want to learn more about forms under the Mental Health Act? You may enjoy our Mental Health Law 101 course for family caregivers. We created this course for folks who are beginning to interact with the mental health system and feeling overwhelmed by how much they don't know.
This course was designed to act like a library. Rather than require you to go through the course from start to finish, the lessons are crafted to answer specific questions. We spoke to dozens of family caregivers and learned they want quick access to information. So feel feel to dive into a lesson that addresses where you're at in your caregiving journey.
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