If he's there under his own admission, he can leave when he chooses. You can only commit someone else for a limited period of time, usually 48-72 hours.
Is this a new thing? I don't doubt you on it (I know nothing about the US procedures) but I'm sure in Girl Interrupted that she commits herself but is then not really allowed to leave until they can say that she is safe to be allowed to do so. In the UK, generally, this is what happens even is someone is self-committed, rather than Sectioned- if there is a worry that they may be a danger to themselves or others then they don't get to leave AMA. I might be totally wrong about Girl Interrupted- I've just lent my copy to a friend. I know in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest lots of them were self-commited but still pretty unable to leave, but that's obviously outdated by modern medical standards. *is interested*
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To skeez_queen13: I don't think that House could live without some sort of pain relief unless there's some major medical breakthrough or procedure. As someone who has been addicted to painkillers (on a much milder scale) in the past I would guess that, if they change the medication after House has been clean of Vicodin with a lot of resisting temptation to go back he might be able to find a workable pain-management scheme that relied less on drugs, or at least on less harmful drugs.
I do agree with californiaquail in that I think that one of the big things for House is that he's going to need to find a reason for the hallucinations occuring-a trigger-point, a way to fix things as best he can. House is too tenacious, I think, to give up on a puzzle- even when the puzzle is himself.
no subject
Is this a new thing? I don't doubt you on it (I know nothing about the US procedures) but I'm sure in Girl Interrupted that she commits herself but is then not really allowed to leave until they can say that she is safe to be allowed to do so. In the UK, generally, this is what happens even is someone is self-committed, rather than Sectioned- if there is a worry that they may be a danger to themselves or others then they don't get to leave AMA. I might be totally wrong about Girl Interrupted- I've just lent my copy to a friend. I know in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest lots of them were self-commited but still pretty unable to leave, but that's obviously outdated by modern medical standards. *is interested*
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To skeez_queen13: I don't think that House could live without some sort of pain relief unless there's some major medical breakthrough or procedure. As someone who has been addicted to painkillers (on a much milder scale) in the past I would guess that, if they change the medication after House has been clean of Vicodin with a lot of resisting temptation to go back he might be able to find a workable pain-management scheme that relied less on drugs, or at least on less harmful drugs.
I do agree with californiaquail in that I think that one of the big things for House is that he's going to need to find a reason for the hallucinations occuring-a trigger-point, a way to fix things as best he can. House is too tenacious, I think, to give up on a puzzle- even when the puzzle is himself.