{"id":22011,"date":"2026-11-11T23:02:52","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T23:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robinsoncasey.com\/guides\/involuntary-commitment-addiction\/wife-hides-pills-marchman-act-florida\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T06:42:24","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T06:42:24","slug":"wife-hides-pills-marchman-act-florida","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/robinsoncasey.com\/guides\/involuntary-commitment-addiction\/wife-hides-pills-marchman-act-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Marchman Act Florida: Options When a Spouse Hides Pills"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Marchman Act Florida: Options When a Spouse Hides Pills<\/h1>\n

If your spouse hides pills and insists everything is under control, you are probably the one keeping track of what is missing. That is a heavy job to carry alone.<\/p>\n

Florida’s Marchman Act can give a family a court route to an assessment and treatment for an adult who cannot judge their own need for care. Spouses are among the people Florida law lets file. This page explains what the law covers, what to write down, and how a case moves.<\/p>\n

When your spouse says the pills are under control<\/h2>\n

All of this rests on a good faith reason to believe these criteria are met. Under Fla. Stat. \u00a7 397.675<\/a>, mere refusal to get services is not, by itself, evidence of lack of judgment.<\/p>\n

That leaves many spouses stuck. Waiting for a crisis feels unsafe. Acting early can feel like betrayal. You may be counting pills while hoping you are wrong.<\/p>\n

You don’t need proof of everything before you ask questions. You do need facts. The rest of this page shows which facts matter and how to organize them.<\/p>\n

What the Marchman Act covers and who it is for<\/h2>\n

The Marchman Act is the Florida law, in Chapter 397 of the Florida Statutes, that sets up court-ordered help for adults with substance use impairment. It aims to get an impaired person assessed and into treatment when they can no longer make safe decisions for themselves.<\/p>\n

Under Fla. Stat. \u00a7 397.675<\/a>, the court looks for a good faith reason to believe the person is impaired and has lost self-control about substance use. The person must also meet one of these tests: they cannot appreciate their need for services and make a rational decision about them; or, without care, they are likely to neglect themselves, that neglect poses a real and present threat of substantial harm, and it is not apparent that help from willing, able family or friends or other services can prevent it; or there is a substantial likelihood they have inflicted, threatened or attempted physical harm on themselves or someone else, or are likely to do so unless admitted.<\/p>\n

The statute also addresses a substance use disorder that occurs alongside a mental health disorder.<\/p>\n

The Marchman Act is a treatment petition.<\/p>\n

Who can file and what to document before you act<\/h2>\n

As the spouse of an adult, you can file a petition for involuntary treatment services. Under Fla. Stat. \u00a7 397.68112<\/a>, a spouse, legal guardian, relative, service provider or an adult who has direct personal knowledge of the respondent’s substance abuse impairment and prior course of assessment and treatment may file for an adult respondent.<\/p>\n

The petition must name your spouse and you. It must state your relationship, the respondent’s attorney if known, and the facts showing why help is needed. Under Fla. Stat. \u00a7 397.68141<\/a>, it may include an assessment from a qualified professional who examined your spouse within 30 days before filing. If there was no assessment or a refusal, the petition must say so.<\/p>\n

Under Fla. Stat. \u00a7 397.681<\/a>, the clerk may not charge a fee to file the petition.<\/p>\n

Keep a dated, factual log. Write down:<\/p>\n