The cases where I have seen this happen: schizophrenia, drug-induced psychosis, acute mania, dementia.
Patients come out far better in an institutionalized setting, as opposed to being on the streets and walking aimlessly in dangerous traffic.
Outcomes might be better than if there was no intervention, but that doesn't necessarily imply that mental health services are effectively doing anything more than providing "protective custody".
It is incorrect to take my response outside of its intended context and attempt to attack it there.
Also, O’Conner vs. Donaldson was the key case that caused a significant shift in mental health treatment.
Blaming Reagan is intellectually lazy.
There are different forms of detention, and different forms of forced treatment.
These are described (for England) in the Mental Health Act.
This is what it means to be sectioned - you are detained under section of the mental health act.
The most common sections are:
Section 136: a police officer can detain you in a public place and take you to a place of safety to be assessed. This requires one police officer. It lasts a maximum of 24 hours (but it can be extended by 12 hours).
Section 2: this is a short 28 day hold for assessment and treatment. It requires 2 doctors and an AMHP. Traditionally AMHPs were social workers, but they don't have to be and there are increasing numbers of nurses becoming AMHPs.
Section 3: this is a six month hold for treatment. It requires 2 doctors and an AMHP.
Section 4 is another short term hold (72 hours) that can be used in emergencies if there's only 1 doctor available.
https://www.rethink.org/living-with-mental-illness/mental-he...