The Parliament of Georgia has passed fast-track amendments governing the administration of compulsory psychiatric treatment, the evaluation of grounds for its extension, and the discharge of patients from inpatient facilities.
The amendments were made to the Law on Mental Health, as well as the Criminal Procedure Code and the Code of Administrative Procedure.
Under current legislation, compulsory psychiatric treatment is ordered by a criminal court judge for a maximum term of up to four years.
In accordance with the law adopted by parliament today, a special commission at the psychiatric facility will review every two months whether the grounds justifying the compulsory treatment remain valid.
The commission’s decision—in cases of both compulsory and involuntary psychiatric treatment—may be appealed through administrative procedures.
Every six months from the date compulsory psychiatric treatment is ordered, the facility’s administration will forward the commission’s decision along with the case files to the court, which will review whether the grounds for imposing the measure remain in effect.
At the same time, the attending physician retains the authority to apply to the commission at any time if they determine that the patient’s condition has improved ahead of schedule.
Lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream party stated that the amendments were introduced in compliance with a Constitutional Court ruling.
On 30 April 2026, the Constitutional Court upheld a lawsuit filed by the Public Defender (Ombudsman of Georgia) challenging the grounds for compulsory psychiatric treatment, the judiciary’s authority to mandate the measure, and its statutory maximum duration.