North Carolina Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) State Practice Exam

What does a person need to undergo to be committed as an emergency case?

1. Diagnosis by a hospital

2. Immediate risk to self or others

3. Family consent

4. Long-term treatment plan

The correct answer is: Immediate risk to self or others

To be committed as an emergency case, the critical criterion involves an immediate risk to self or others. This means that a person must exhibit behavior or symptoms that pose a clear and present danger, such as threatening self-harm or demonstrating violent tendencies towards others. This urgent assessment is designed to protect the individual and the community, ensuring that those in crisis receive immediate intervention to address their mental health needs before further harm occurs. Other factors, such as a diagnosis by a hospital or a family consent, may be part of the broader evaluation and treatment process but are not prerequisites for the emergency commitment itself. Likewise, a long-term treatment plan comes into play after the immediate crisis is resolved and is not part of the conditions needed at the outset for emergency commitment. Therefore, the emphasis is firmly placed on the urgent and immediate assessment of risk.