A qualitative and observational retrospective analysis of community treatment orders issued in Quebec for the year 2022

This study provides an observational analysis of community treatment orders (CTOs) in Quebec for 2022, utilizing a qualitative grounded theory approach and descriptive statistics from judgments in the Superior Court of Quebec’s public database, Société québécoise d’information juridique (SOQUIJ), from January to December 2022. Excluding residential placement orders without pharmacological treatment, 209 judgments were analyzed, focusing on sociodemographic traits, court information, clinical data, and treatment details. A significant portion of CTOs proposed by medical teams was granted (202 out of 209, or 97.6%), with 31 receiving partial approval. The study covered 124 male and 85 female patients, aged 19–76 and 14–94, respectively, with average ages of 41 and 53. Roughly a third were diagnosed with psychotic disorders, alongside other conditions like bipolar affective disorders, delusional disorder, neurocognitive disorders, and substance use. The initial CTO duration averaged 2.53 years, with rehospitalization ranging from 7 to 120 days. This analysis highlights Quebec’s use of CTOs, suggesting further research on their efficacy in supporting patient management of illnesses.