B.C. doctors get new guidance on involuntary care for people who use drugs

British Columbia clinicians have received new guidance about involuntary care for adults, including a directive that it cannot be used to prevent harmful “risk-taking” by people who use drugs whose behaviour is not related to mental impairment.The guidance from Dr. Daniel Vigo, B.C.’s first chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, is aimed at helping clinicians and others decide when involuntary admission is appropriate for people with both mental-health and substance-use disorders.Vigo said in a news release that involuntary treatment “can be a tool to preserve life and treat the source of impairment” among those with such complex needs.