ABSTRACT
An important part of any discussion of public policy and mental disorder is mental health law, for it is in the law that a society's concepts about abnormal behavior are articulated into formal rules and regulations. This chapter reviews United States law as it applies to the mentally ill. The discussion centers on the following topics: (1) the concept of dangerousness, (2) false commitment, (3) insanity as a defense in a criminal trial, and (4) the right to treatment.
