In my area a blue paper (involuntary commitment papers printed on blue paper) has three parts. The first section is the person initiating the paperwork, the doctor or nurse practitioner who then assesses the patient and then the judge or lawyer who is permitted to sign the papers. Legally the first section can be filled out by family members, outpatient providers etc. However, we never use anybody outside the facility so typically it is the patient's nurse. The reason we don't use people outside the facility is because we don't want to break down relationships. Once the patient is discharged we don't want them to break off contact with family and friends or even outside providers.