Legal Definitions - Mental Health

Mental health refers to a person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and behave in our daily lives. Mental health and the law interact in various ways, including:

• Competence: This refers to a person's ability to make legal decisions, such as entering into a contract or participating in a legal proceeding.
• Involuntary commitment: This is when a person is forced to receive mental health treatment against their will. There are legal standards that regulate this process to ensure that it is fair and just.
• Insanity defense: This is a legal defense that can be used in criminal cases when a person's mental health affected their ability to understand the consequences of their actions.

For example, if a person with a mental illness is unable to understand the terms of a contract, they may be deemed incompetent to enter into the agreement. In cases where a person poses a danger to themselves or others due to their mental illness, they may be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility for treatment. In criminal cases, the insanity defense may be used if the defendant's mental illness affected their ability to understand the nature of their actions.