When you are given compulsory status, it starts right away after a specialist signs a certificate. You get this status because the specialist thinks you need help with substance addiction. The specialist signs a compulsory treatment certificate to make it official.

Your compulsory status ends when one of several things happens to you. This includes if the clinician in charge of your care does not apply for a review of your status within seven days, as stated in section 29(c). It also ends if the court does not make a compulsory treatment order within the time period stated in section 31.

Your compulsory status can also end if your treatment order expires, or if a Judge or the clinician in charge of your care decides to release you. It ends if you are given a different type of order, such as one under section 24, 25(1)(a) or (b), or 34 of the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003. It also ends if you are given an inpatient order under Part 2 of the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992, or if you become a special patient as defined in section 2(1) of that Act.

Your compulsory status ends if you are sentenced to prison by a court. This means you will be detained in a prison instead of getting compulsory treatment. The court's decision will determine what happens to you next.