Private and public psychiatric hospitalization after Zinermon v. Burch

The Supreme Court's decision in Zinermon v. Burch left unanswered a number of important questions. This paper discusses the case as it relates to competency to consent to voluntary psychiatric hospitalization, and examines the applicability of the Zinermon ruling for private and public psychiatric facilities. The paper also looks at how courts have dealt with competency and voluntariness after Zinermon and the implications of the decision on mental health practice.