4. Take your Form 2 to the police

You have to take your signed Form 2 – Order for Examination to the police station nearest to where you think your loved one is. It's helpful to attach a photograph of your loved one to help the police recognize them.

If you don't know where your loved one is, the police try to find them. If they're found, the police usually take them to a doctor at the nearest emergency room.

If there's a certain hospital where your loved one's been treated before, you can let the police know. Then they can try to take your loved one to that hospital.

Form 1

At the hospital, a doctor examines your loved one and decides if they need a full psychiatric assessment. If the doctor thinks they need one, they may sign a Form 1.

A Form 1 allows your loved one to be kept in a psychiatric facility for up to 72 hours so that a psychiatrist can assess them.

But if the doctor decides that your loved one doesn't need a full psychiatric assessment, your loved one is released.

Deadline

A signed Form 2 expires 7 days after the Justice of the Peace (JP) signed it. If the police haven't taken your loved one to a doctor before the form expired and you're still worried about your loved one, then you can ask the JP for a new Form 2. But you have to convince the JP again to sign your new Form 2.