§ 7508 - Emergency examination
§ 7508. Emergency examination
(a) When a person is admitted to a designated hospital for an emergency examination in accordance with sections 7504 or 7505(e) of this title, he shall be examined and certified by a psychiatrist as soon as practicable, but not later than one working day after admission.
(b) If the person is admitted on an application and physician's certificate, the examining psychiatrist shall not be the same physician who signed the certificate.
(c) If the psychiatrist does not certify that the person is a person in need of treatment, he shall immediately discharge the person and cause him to be returned to the place from which he was taken or to such place as the person reasonably directs.
(d) If the psychiatrist does certify that the person is a person in need of treatment, the person's hospitalization may continue for an additional 72 hours, at which time hospitalization shall terminate, unless within that period:
(1) the person has been accepted for voluntary admission under section 7503 of this title; or
(2) an application for involuntary treatment is filed with the appropriate court under section 7612 of this title in which case the patient shall remain hospitalized pending the court's decision on the application. (Added 1977, No. 252 (Adj. Sess.), § 15.)