involuntary hospitalization

the confinement of a person with a serious mental illness to a mental hospital by medical authorization and legal direction (as in involuntary civil commitment). Individuals so hospitalized may be considered dangerous to themselves or others, may fail to recognize the severity of their illness and the need for treatment, or may be unable to have their daily living and treatment needs otherwise met in the community or to survive without medical attention. Compare voluntary admission.

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Psychology term of the day

January 31st 2025

automatic speech

1. speech that erupts involuntarily, or without conscious control. It sometimes occurs as a consequence of dementia, Tourette’s syndrome, or highly emotional states. Automatic speech is not to be confused with synthesized or synthetic speech.

2. speech that is uttered with little or no conscious consideration of the spoken material, such as the days of the week, numbers, the alphabet, and other well-learned material.