An emergency evaluation is a way to get a person who presents a danger to the life or safety of themselves or others to an emergency room to be examined.
If the court orders an emergency evaluation, the person will be taken to the nearest emergency facility by a law enforcement officer. An emergency room physician will determine if the person qualifies for involuntary admission to a psychiatric facility. (Health-General § § 10-620 through 10-630).
You may file a petition for emergency evaluation only if you have reason to believe that the person you’re filing for:
• has a mental disorder, which means their behavior or other symptoms indicate a clear disturbance in the person’s mental functioning (mental disorder does not include intellectual disability) and
• presents a danger to the life or safety of the person or others.
A petition may be filed by:
Law enforcement attempts to find the person and bring them to the nearest emergency room for evaluation; if the person is not found and brought to the emergency room within five (5) days of the court order, the order expires. You may file again if the order expires, and the person continues to show signs of a mental disorder and continues to present a danger to themselves or others.
If the situation presents an immediate danger to yourself or others, call 9-1-1 and leave the scene.
Records relating to mental health evaluations are confidential, and the contents may not be divulged, by subpoena or otherwise, except by order of the court for good cause shown or as allowed by law. The law allows for certain agencies to review the court record, such as law enforcement. The person who was the subject of the petition may be asked in certain circumstances to disclose information about the case record.
These court records will not be available on the Judiciary’s public CaseSearch website.
988
301-662-2255
240-964-1399
Cecil
988
410-768-5522
410-222-7273
410-222-6800
Charles
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Frederick
Garrett
Howard
Mid-Shore (Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot Cos.)
988
1-888-407-8018
410-996-03333
443-245-3257