Subject Index Mental Health Law

The Illinois General Assembly enacted the Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act. The Act seeks to regulate the provision of therapy and psychotherapy services in Illinois and prohibits individuals, corporations, and other entities from offering such services unless they are performed by a licensed professional. 

The Illinois General Assembly amended the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Certain requirements must be met for any individual or guardian seeking admission for a person with development disabilities to a state-operated facility, including: that the person must be at least 18 years of age; the individual and their guardian must have received, or attempted to receive, education regarding community-based services; and that the person meets all clinical eligibility requirements, among other requirements.

On April 23, 2024, the Third District of the Illinois Appellate Court held that a mid-hearing petition for involuntary admission is a violation of due-process rights under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code.

Creates the Task Force for a Healing-Centered Illinois Act. The task force’s objectives include: recommending shared language and common definitions; identifying the current training capacity and training needs to support healing-centered and trauma-informed environments among organizations and educational institutions; and designing a process for identifying what data is needed to understand the dimensions of trauma in Illinois.

The First District Appellate Court, first division, held that neither the attorney who subpoenaed a plaintiff’s mental-health records nor the hospital that released them was entitled to summary judgment for claims arising from the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act.

Anita Irvin went into the emergency room for swelling and pain in her leg. During her visit, her primary care physician informed the emergency-room doctor that she had recently made suicidal ideations.

An appellate court reversed a lower court's order authorizing the involuntary administration of psychotropic medication and testing.