Under DC law, before a person can be committed and/or forced to accept treatment, the person must be found to be mentally ill and dangerous to self and/or others because of the mental illness.

"Danger to self" means if that person is not able to care for him- or herself or is likely to inadvertently place him- or herself in a position of danger or is likely to suffer harm. "Danger to others" means if the person is likely to perform some act or acts either intentionally or unintentionally to others and such act or acts may be either violent or nonviolent. Please note that drug addiction and alcoholism do not qualify as a mental illness.

The Central Intake Center of the Family Court is located on the East Wing of the John Marshall level of the District of Columbia Courthouse, 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Room JM-520, Washington, DC 20001. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: (202) 879-1212. Petitions to Commit can only be filed for a person needing mental health supports. Effective August 3, 2018, there will be no new civil commitments for people with an intellectual disability.

"There are a number of centers. The office hours vary from center to center. Be sure to telephone before going to the center: Northeast Community Mental Health Center 35 K Street NE Washington, DC 20001 (202) 442-4215 Northwest Community Mental Health Center 1125 Spring Road NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 576-6512 Multi-Cultural Center 1250 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 673-2058"

No. Mental habilitation cases are confidential. All hearings are closed to the public. Only the parties involved may see the case file.