If someone feels that a child might attempt to harm themselves or others, they can call the police. The police will then arrive. They will decide whether to take the child, even without parental authorization, to a psychiatric facility to be examined and involuntarily committed. They are held until a psychiatrist has evaluated their mental health and determined what should be done. If a child is Baker Acted on a Friday, it is possible that they are held until Monday, when the psychiatrist is back at work, deprived of the comfort of their family.

This act is called the "Baker Act." It is a law created in Florida in the 70s by a psychiatrist named Baker. It gives the criteria to be used for a person to be involuntarily "Baker Acted". The law says the following: involuntary examination, CRITERIA: A person may be taken to a receiving center for an involuntary examination if there is reason to believe that the person has a mental illness and because of their mental illness: The person has refused the voluntary examination after a thorough explanation and disclosure of the purpose of the examination or the person cannot determine for himself if an exam is necessary; and there is a high probability that without care or treatment the person will cause serious bodily harm to himself or others in the near future, as evidenced by recent behavior.

If the child has a tantrum or throes a fit at home, in the garden, or at school, anyone can call the police , and the child can be Baker Acted. Now how can you show that a child, or a child of 2 to 5 years old can even have mental problems? A psychiatrist must examine the child; the examination must be performed during the first 12 hours of involuntary hospitalization.

“Sometimes others seek to crush one down, to make nothing out of one’s hopes and dreams, one’s future and oneself.
The real handling of such a situation and such people, the real way to defeat them is to flourish and prosper.” L. Ron Hubbard.

The Citizens Commission for Human Rights (CCHR) is a nonprofit organization that monitors mental health, responsible for helping to enact more than 150 laws that protect individuals from abusive and coercive practices.

Go to www.cchr.org now