A family member has to apply to a local magistrate. A psychiatrist or physician working in the receiving institution may not be involved in this application. The reception order allows for the involuntary admission into a psychiatric hospital for an initial period of 42 days. Although the judge may request that the parties make further depositions, this does not occur in practice. Discharge from a section 19 order is at the attending psychiatrist's discretion.
Certification confers the right to detain and treat the patient.
The requirements are as for section 9 committal except that circumstances demand immediate hospitalization. A psychiatrist at the admitting institution can certify patients under this provision. If no further steps are undertaken after admission, the patient can nevertheless be detained in the hospital for 10 days. The hospital superintendent may apply for an extension of this period to 21 days. Psychiatric hospitals serve large geographic areas.