A psychiatric hold is the legal right of a physician to keep a patient in a hospital for a limited period of time where there is evidence that the patient is a danger to themselves or others due to a mental illness. As such, physicians have a limited right to detain a patient in the hospital at will, with the patient having the right to challenge the decision of the physician in court. However, as the period of the mandatory hold is usually very short (usually 72 hours or fewer), most patients do not challenge it and instead try to work around it.