Tarabithia: Very nice summary! Thanks! This information is entirely consistent with my experiences.

In my state, there are 3 criteria for involuntary admission: Potential for harm to self, harm to others, or perceived inability to care for self. I asked for an admission in March and was admitted under the 3rd criterion as involuntary, with this being a condition of the receiving facility. I really needed help so didn't care either way; the legalities were daunting but very protective of my autonomy. I was grateful for the help and used this time wisely.

Having said that, after insurance paid its part, my out-of-pocket for this adventure exceeded 10,000, not including a 1700.00 ambulance transfer. I'll be paying on this for years, so it's a good thing I took advantage of all they had to offer instead of sulking over the involuntary status issue. In fact, I felt it was a great experience overall and provided me with lots of useful information and tools. It's kind of embarrassing having that on my record, but it's not the first time and probably will not the last (sigh). It is what it is. I will, of course, do my part to avoid a crisis in future.