(a) The Department may establish, under the direction and supervision of the Delaware Psychiatric Center, criteria for voluntary admissions to designated psychiatric treatment facilities and hospitals that differ from the criteria for involuntary admissions to designated psychiatric treatment facilities and hospitals.
(b) A psychiatrist or licensed independent practitioner who is credentialed and authorized by the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health may admit to a designated psychiatric treatment facility or hospital for observation, diagnosis, care and treatment any individual who is a person with an apparent mental condition or who has symptoms of a mental condition and who requests admission subject to the payment of charges for care, maintenance and support as provided in § 5020 of this title.
(c) Prior to admitting a person on a voluntary basis, the designated psychiatric treatment facility or hospital must notify the person verbally and in writing of the legal consequences of voluntary admission in language that is understandable to the person, and reasonably believe that the person comprehends such consequences, including but not limited to:
(1) The person will not to be allowed to leave the hospital grounds without permission of the treating psychiatrist;
(2) If the person seeks discharge prior to the discharge recommended by the person's treatment team, the person's treating psychiatrist may initiate the involuntary inpatient commitment process if the psychiatrist believes the individual presents a danger to self or danger to others; and
(3) Unless the involuntary commitment process is initiated, the person will not have the hospitalization reviewed by the court.
(d) The attending psychiatrist shall discharge a voluntary patient when in-patient treatment is no longer clinically indicated.
(e) A voluntary patient may make a written request to the attending psychiatrist to be discharged at any time. Upon the receipt of such request, the attending psychiatrist shall discharge the person within 72 hours from the receipt of the request, except if a psychiatrist or licensed independent practitioner certifies that the voluntary patient is currently demonstrating behaviors believed to be dangerous to self or dangerous to others and these behaviors are documented in the medical record, an emergency detention may be initiated for the person. No person may be involuntarily hospitalized unless in compliance with the emergency detention procedures set forth in § 5004 of this title.
(f) If any applicant is under the age of 18 years old, the following provisions shall apply:
(1) In the case of voluntary admission to a designated psychiatric treatment facility or hospital, consent to treatment shall be given only by a parent or legal guardian. The request for admission to the designated psychiatric treatment facility or hospital shall be signed by either the applicant's parent or legal guardian.
(2) A voluntary patient or the voluntary patient's parent or legal guardian may make a written request to the attending psychiatrist to be discharged at any time.
a. The provisions of subsection (e) of this section shall apply in such instances, except that the voluntary patient's discharge may be conditioned upon the consent of the voluntary patient's parent or legal guardian.
b. If the parent or legal guardian of a voluntary patient requests the patient's discharge from a treatment facility against the advice of the treatment team and administrator of the facility, the facility may initiate involuntary treatment procedures as provided for under this chapter. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply as if the patient had made the request.
(3) Voluntary outpatient treatment. — A person between 14 and 18 years of age, who is in need of mental health treatment, may request voluntary outpatient treatment from a licensed treatment facility or community provider. If the individual in need of treatment is a minor under 14 years of age, a parent, legal custodian, or legal guardian shall make the request for voluntary outpatient mental health treatment and give written consent for treatment.
a. If a minor is 14 years of age or over, then either the minor, or a parent, legal custodian, or legal guardian may give written consent to a licensed treatment facility or community provider for voluntary, outpatient treatment.
b. Consent so given by a minor 14 years of age or over shall, notwithstanding the minor's minority, be valid and fully effective for all purposes and shall be binding upon such minor, the minor's parents, custodian, and legal guardian as effectively as if the minor were of full legal age at the time of giving such written consent. The consent of no other person or court shall be necessary for the treatment rendered such minor.
c. A minor's consent is not necessary when a parent, legal custodian, or legal guardian of an individual less than 18 years of age provides consent to voluntary outpatient mental health treatment on behalf of the minor.
d. A minor, including those age 14 and older, may not abrogate consent provided by a parent, legal custodian, or legal guardian on the minor's behalf. Nor may a parent, legal custodian, or legal guardian abrogate consent given by a minor age 14 and older on his or her own behalf.
e. This section does not authorize a minor to receive psychotropic drugs without the consent of the minor's parent, legal custodian, or legal guardian. Only a parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian may provide consent for the administration of such medication.
(4) A psychiatrist designated by the Secretary of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families may conduct an independent review to determine whether an applicant who receives financial assistance from such Department or who is in the custody of such Department is appropriate for voluntary hospitalization.
(g) Notwithstanding any other section of the Delaware Code, the Medical Director of the Department's Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health shall have the independent authority to discharge persons at the Delaware Psychiatric Center.
(h) The Department will pay for a voluntary admission of a patient to a designated psychiatric treatment facility or hospital pursuant to the same Departmental criteria as an involuntary admission or community placement.