Union County Probate Court is Open by Appointment Only: Please Call for an Appointment

Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Commitment

Emergency Commitments - Detention Orders

If you have a family member or friend that you believe requires immediate treatment for either a mental illness or chemical dependency, you may go to:

Union Mental Health Center (UMHC)

Phone: 864-427-1224

130 Medical Sciences Road,

Union, SC 29379

Hours: Mon - Fri 8:30am - 5:00pm

Union Behavioral Health Services

(Formerly Union Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center)

Phone: (864) 429-1656

201 South Herndon Street,

Union, SC 29379

Hours: Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm

Union Medical Center, Emergency Room,

(After Hours)

Phone: 864-301-2000

322 W South St,

Union, SC 29379

Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Emergency Commitments

After contacting one of the above, request an Application for Involuntary Emergency Hospitalization, also known as a Detention Order. The requirements for a Detention Order are as follows:

The individual must pose an immediate threat to self or others.
If threats were made, they must have been witnessed by the petitioner within 24 hours of the Detention Order request.
The petitioner must know where the individual is currently located. (This will assist law enforcement in locating and detaining the individual.)
It is helpful to know whether the individual has a history of mental illness and/or chemical dependency.
It is helpful to know whether the individual is currently taking any medication(s).
It is helpful to know whether the individual is having any self-care or self-neglect issues, such as not sleeping, not eating, or neglecting hygiene, that suggest the possibility of harm to self.

Based on the information provided to the Mental Health Professional, the Detention Order request may or may not be forwarded to the Probate Court for approval. If approved, the Probate Court will issue a Detention Order and law enforcement will be dispatched to locate and detain the individual. The individual will be transported to the emergency room for examination. If, in the opinion of the mental health professionals, the individual meets the requirements for an emergency commitment, then the individual will be admitted to an appropriate treatment facility.

Non-Emergency Commitments - Judicial Orders

If you have a family member or friend that you believe requires non-emergency treatment for either a mental illness or chemical dependency, you may go to the Union Mental Health Center (UMHC) or Union Behavioral Health Services (Formerly Union County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Center) and request a Petition for Judicial Admission.

The UMHC or Union Behavioral Health Services will send the Judicial Petition to the Probate Court.
The Court will schedule an examination for the person with the alleged mental illness or chemical dependency.
You will receive notice from the Court of the place, date, and time of the scheduled examination and as the petitioner, you are required to attend the examination to offer information that will be considered by the examiners.
The individual will also receive notice of the examination by both mail and personal service.
After the examination, if the individual is found to be a mentally ill or chemically dependent person in need of treatment, a hearing will be held by a Probate Judge. Notice of the hearing will be provided to both the petitioner and the mentally ill/chemically dependent person.

Non-Emergency Examinations are scheduled in the order in which the Petitions are received by the Court. Therefore, please allow adequate time for the Petition to be processed, before contacting the Court. Once a Petition has been filed with the Court, it is unable to be cancelled.

Google Sites

Report abuse