![Two officials wearing bright orange winter jackets lean over to talk to an unhoused individual sitting on a bench in a Metro station. The individual is wearing an oversized black parka with the hood pulled up and rests on one arm. There are multiple bags on the bench near the person.](https://harvardpublichealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/HarvardPublicHealth_InvoluntaryCommitment_Mental-Health_Unhoused_f-400x300.jpg)
Patients with substance use disorders need care, not coercion
Forced treatment doesn't work. It's time for health leaders to invest in better alternatives.
JCM
John Messinger, MD, is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and internal medicine resident at the University of California, San Francisco.