3. Know your rights as an involuntary patient

You're an involuntary patient if your doctor signs a “certificate of involuntary admission”. This can only happen after your doctor:

• examines you to confirm you have an ongoing or recurring mental disorder, and
• believes that your mental disorder will cause serious harm to you or someone else unless you stay in a psychiatric facility.

If this happens you'll get a Form 3 – Certificate of Involuntary Admission. Once the Form 3 expires, your involuntary admission may be renewed using a Form 4 – Certificate of Renewal.

If there's a certificate with your name that hasn't expired and your doctor hasn't changed your status to a voluntary patient, then you can't leave the facility without your doctor's permission. If you leave the facility without permission, your doctor can ask the police to find you and bring you back to the facility.