This House would detain people on grounds of mental health

debate

Jan 25, 2022

Detention on the grounds of mental health aims to provide treatment and safety for those who are deemed unable to make an informed decision about their situation due to their mental state. The current process in the UK means that two doctors or a doctor and a social worker have to declare that it would be in the interest of the patient and society for the patient to be 'sectioned' (meaning detained in hospital). This usually lasts for 72 hours, but can be extended by the doctor for up to 28 days (full details in scrapbook). A similar process is carried out in countries such as Australia, the USA (although the specifics vary between States) and the Netherlands. In other countries such as Germany, detention is only carried out if a guardian wishes it. Yet historically, such a method of detention has been abused by governments such as Soviet Russia using these mental health laws to detain political prisoners¹. Many mental health awareness groups oppose this policy. This debate aims to discuss the positive and negative aspects and effects of detention on the grounds of mental illness, with particular reference to DSPD (dangerous severe personality disorder).

¹ Billington, M. (2009, January 19). Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Guardian:

Bibliography

BBC News. (1998, February 12). Has care in the community failed? Retrieved August 30, 2011, from BBC News:

Billington, M. (2009, January 19). Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Guardian:

Dare A., Pirkis J., Blood R.W., Rankin B., Williamson S., Burgess P. &Jolley D. The Media Monitoring Project: Changes in Media Reporting of Suicide and Mental Health and Illness in Australia, 2000/01 - 2006/07. Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics, (Melbourne: The University of Melbourne Press, 2011)

Dietrich, S., Heider, D., Matschinger, H., Angermeyer, M. C. (2006). Influence of newspaper reporting on adolescents' attitudes toward people with mental illness. Social Psychology and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 41, 318-322

Directgov. (n.d.). Human Rights Act. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Directgov:

European Court of Human Rights. (2010, September). Detention and Mental Health. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from European Court of Human Rights:

European Court of Human Rights. (n.d.). The European Convention on Human Rights. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from European Court of Human Rights:

Ferriman, Annabel, 'The stigma of schizophrenia', BMJ, 19 February 2000, 320:522, Retrieved 1 September 2011 from BMJ.com:

Institute of Alcohol Studies. (2010, July 29). Alcohol & Crime. Retrieved August 20, 2011, from Institute of Alcohol Studies:

Library of Congress. (2011, May 11). Pre-Charge Detention for Terrorist Suspects. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Law Library of Congress:

Mental Health Alliance. (n.d.). Issues relating to black and minority ethnic communities. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Mental Health Alliance:

Mental Health Foundation. (n.d.). Mental Health Statistics. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Mental Health Foundation:

Mind. (n.d.). Black and minority ethnic health. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Mind: For better mental health:

Mind. (n.d.). Mental Health Act 1983. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Mind: For better mental health:

Mindframe. (n.d.). Impact of Media Reporting. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Mindframe:

Nursing Careers Allied Health. (2011, August 23). Mental health nurse sacked over detention comments. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from Nursing Careers Allied Health: