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"Involuntary" and "Voluntary" in Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Mental Health Services: A Scoping Review of Definitions.

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Title: "Involuntary" and "Voluntary" in Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Mental Health Services: A Scoping Review of Definitions.
Authors: Smart, Benjamin D. (AUTHOR), Kalathil, Kritheeka (AUTHOR), McCall, William V. (AUTHOR), Munjal, Sahil (AUTHOR), Kirkendall, Haley (AUTHOR), Patel, Madison (AUTHOR), Taliaferro, Amy (AUTHOR), Yaeger, Lauren H. (AUTHOR), Iltis, Ana S. (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research. Jan2026, Vol. 53 Issue 1, p142-164. 23p.
Subjects: Definitions, Involuntary treatment, Ethical problems, Legal doctrines, Informed consent (Medical law), Mental health services
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: The meaning of (in)voluntary in the context of psychiatric, behavioral, and mental health services in the United States lacks shared understanding despite widespread use, such as in "involuntary treatment," "involuntary hospitalization," and "voluntary patient." A pre-registered scoping review was conducted to describe how U.S.-based healthcare professionals explicitly define (in)voluntary when referring to psychiatric, behavioral, and mental health concepts. Nine databases and nine organization/government websites were searched. Eligibility criteria included English availability, U.S.-based healthcare author(s), and an explicit definition of (in)voluntary. Extracted data included study characteristics and (in)voluntary term(s) with definitions. Open coding was used for the (in)voluntary-associated definition. Meaning categories were created by grouping codes. A total of 29,313 citations were screened for a final 162 sources, containing 203 definitions. Evidence sources (years 1966–2023) were most frequently research articles (33%), review articles (24%), and books (20%) with authorship including persons with an M.D./D.O. (70%) and/or Ph.D. (51%). The most common definition words were order, coercion, against/opposed to a patient's will/wishes, consent, force, and adhere. Meaning categories were external pressure, civil rights, individual agency, competence and capacity, and ethics. Involuntary definitions more commonly characterized the patient as actively against an intervention (23%), rather than without active agreement (11%). Some definitions included a legal (62%) and/or ethical dimension (33%). Two-thirds of sources used at least one additional (in)voluntary term in the publication without defining it. Because there exists a range of competing definitions for the term (in)voluntary, authors who use this descriptor clearly are recommended to explain their meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: "Involuntary" and "Voluntary" in Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Mental Health Services: A Scoping Review of Definitions.
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  Data: The meaning of (in)voluntary in the context of psychiatric, behavioral, and mental health services in the United States lacks shared understanding despite widespread use, such as in "involuntary treatment," "involuntary hospitalization," and "voluntary patient." A pre-registered scoping review was conducted to describe how U.S.-based healthcare professionals explicitly define (in)voluntary when referring to psychiatric, behavioral, and mental health concepts. Nine databases and nine organization/government websites were searched. Eligibility criteria included English availability, U.S.-based healthcare author(s), and an explicit definition of (in)voluntary. Extracted data included study characteristics and (in)voluntary term(s) with definitions. Open coding was used for the (in)voluntary-associated definition. Meaning categories were created by grouping codes. A total of 29,313 citations were screened for a final 162 sources, containing 203 definitions. Evidence sources (years 1966–2023) were most frequently research articles (33%), review articles (24%), and books (20%) with authorship including persons with an M.D./D.O. (70%) and/or Ph.D. (51%). The most common definition words were order, coercion, against/opposed to a patient's will/wishes, consent, force, and adhere. Meaning categories were external pressure, civil rights, individual agency, competence and capacity, and ethics. Involuntary definitions more commonly characterized the patient as actively against an intervention (23%), rather than without active agreement (11%). Some definitions included a legal (62%) and/or ethical dimension (33%). Two-thirds of sources used at least one additional (in)voluntary term in the publication without defining it. Because there exists a range of competing definitions for the term (in)voluntary, authors who use this descriptor clearly are recommended to explain their meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – SubjectFull: Involuntary treatment
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              Text: Jan2026
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