The Mental Health Act

When, regrettably, the powers of the Mental Health Act are needed, any decisions taken by mental healthcare professionals need to first place human rights at the centre of decision-making. The law should respect our rights to make decisions for ourselves unless we are unable to do that, and then should be based on the risks that we pose to ourselves and others, rather than whether or not we are considered ‘mentally ill’. We should aim to reduce the use of compulsory powers and provide for much greater judicial oversight within the use of mental health legislation. Once again, psychosocial, rather than biomedical, principles should guide our decisions.