How To Baker Act Someone In Tennessee. The baker act is an existing law that provides for temporary institutionalization of individuals who meet certain criteria. Unfortunately, sometimes individuals are placed under involuntary mental health examination when they do not meet the criteria as it’s stated.
To do this, you must have witnessed the criteria for initiating the baker act, which is a person out of control who may cause harm to herself or others, and swear to it. Exam determines if person is able to make well reasoned, willful, knowing mental health decisions. This law allows for the individual to be involuntarily held for up to 72 hours and may be initiated by mental health.
In terms of your direct question, here is what tennessee law provides.
(iii) the person has substantiallymutilated himself or attempted to mutilate himself substantially and that there is thereasonable probability of mutilation unless adequate treatment is afforded under this act.for the purposes of this subsection, a clear and present danger shall be established byproof that the person has made threats to commit mutilation and has committed acts whichare in furtherance of the threat to. File an ex parte order at the clerk of court's office for your county. In terms of your direct question, here is what tennessee law provides. They have a mental illness or serious emotional disturbance (drug or alcohol addiction counts as a mental illness in tennessee laws).