Mental Health Matters

The newsletter of the ISBA’s Mental Health Law Section

ISBA Members, please login to join this section

May 2026 • Volume 12 • Number 4 •

May 2026 Mental Health Law Newsletter

Register for the 2026 ISBA Annual Meeting
June 11-12, 2026 | Ritz-Carlton | St. Louis, MO
Registration now open! Make the most of your trip to the dynamic Clayton business district of St. Louis by selecting and paying for only the meetings, programs, and social events you plan to attend. Online registration is available through June 5, and onsite registration will open at The Ritz-Carlton on June 11. We hope to see you there!

Announcing ISBA Solo & Individual Health Insurance
The ISBA is now offering a health insurance plan exclusively for individual & solo practitioner members. The health plan network is Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and features four coverage options designed to meet your specific needs—no medical underwriting or health questions required. Explore the coverage plans and access a bonus discount RX card!

Rural Practice Fellowship Program: Contribute by June 1 to Be Recognized
The ISBA Rural Practice Fellowship Program was created to connect law students and attorneys with law firms in rural and small-town Illinois. For those in a position to give, financial contributions remain essential to sustaining and expanding the program’s reach. Donors who make a contribution by June 1, 2026, will be recognized in the July issue of the Illinois Bar Journal. Thank you!

In This Issue

Editor’s Note

By Sandra Blake

A note from the Editor of Mental Health Matters, discussing Mental Health Awareness Month.

Lawyers’ Assistance Program: Mental Health

By Nicole Sartori

The Lawyers' Assistance Program is a valuable resource for attorneys, judges, and law students, offering services from assessments, substance abuse to mental health treatments, support groups, and individual counseling.

The Gift of Understanding

By Susan M. Goldberg

An anecdote, thinking back to years past: As a child, every year I noticed that there was always one present that remained under our Christmas tree for several days after Christmas. It was a small gift with a tag on it that said “For Luella.” My mother told me that Luella was a woman who was in “a mental hospital."

Seeing the Humanity: Northern Illinois NAMI

By Susan M. Goldberg

Danielle Angilieri, the Executive Director of the Northern Illinois National Alliance for Mental Illness in Rockford, shares her career journey and offers words of wisdom when dealing with persons who may be suffering from mental illnesses.

Related Court Cases

Illinois Appellate Court / Civil

Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code | 1st Dist.
In re Commitment of Joshua D., 2026 IL App (1st) 231954 (September 18, 2026) 5th Div./Cook Co. (WILSON) Affirmed in part, reversed in part.

Respondent appealed from two circuit court orders: one that allowed the State to voluntarily dismiss a motion seeking respondent’s involuntary inpatient admission under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code and one that granted a subsequent motion and ordered the respondent’s involuntary inpatient admission. The appellate court affirmed in part and reversed in part, affirming the dismissal of the original petition but reversing the involuntary admission order, explaining that while the issue was moot, under the public interest exception it was entered in error because the new petition failed to comply with section 3-606 of the Code by identifying the officer who transported respondent to the hospital. (ODEN JOHNSON and MIKVA, concurring)

Illinois Appellate Court / Civil

Involuntary Administration of Medication | 4th Dist.
In re Jacob P., 2026 IL App (4th) 251327 (July 8, 2026) Adams Co. (ZENOFF) Affirmed in part and reversed in part.

Respondent appealed after the trial court ordered that he be involuntarily admitted for mental health treatment and be administered psychotropic medication. On appeal, respondent argued that the predisposition report did not comply with section 3-810 of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, that the court improperly combined hearings the petitions for admission and administration of medication, that he did not receive adequate notice of the petition for administration, that he was not given sufficient information regarding the proposed treatment, and that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. The appellate court affirmed the order granting the petition for involuntary admission but reversed the order granting the petition for administration of psychotropic medication, finding that the State failed to present evidence that the respondent was notified in writing of treatment alternatives. (VANCIL and GRISCHOW, concurring)

CLE

8 MORE Movie-Lawyers Who Would Be Disciplined in Real Life
October 14 | Online
Disability Law: What You Need to Know About the ADA and IHRA
November 19 | Online
How to Subpoena Student Records: FERPA, Illinois Law, and the Judicial Process
December 3 | Online

Full CLE Calendar…

Featured Free On-Demand CLE

Wellbeing of Caregivers in the Legal Profession
1.00 hours MCLE credit, including 1.00 hours of PMCLE credit

Upcoming Events

ISBA Mental Health Law Section Council Business Meeting
November 2, 2026 | 12:00 pm | Zoom

Full ISBA Calendar…

Disclaimer: This newsletter is for subscribers’ personal use only; redistribution is prohibited. Copyright Illinois State Bar Association. Statements or expressions of opinion appearing herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Association or Editors, and likewise the publication of any advertisement is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product or service offered unless it is specifically stated in the ad that there is such approval or endorsement.

What do you want to do?

All ISBA Sections
Mental Health Law
Section Newsletter
May 2026 Issue
Section Activities Summary
Section Community
Section Council Roster
Section Minutes