Get Email Updates from Google
New mental health laws questioned
“New mental health laws do not go far enough, an alliance of 75 organisations working with mentally ill people says. The Mental Health Alliance (MHA) has questioned community treatment orders, a key part of the Mental Health Act, which came into force last month.
The orders can force patients to take medication in the community if they pose a risk to themselves or others. The MHA says this gives too much power to psychiatrists without giving the mentally ill a right to more services.
Ministers have been trying to update mental health legislation since 1998. It took nine years of wrangling before the controversial Mental Health Act passed into law at the end of July.”
Consultant Nigel Lester says “no amount of legislation is going to be better than having the right amount of people with the right training and the right skills to engage people who are suffering from severe mental illnesses.”
The alliance says intensive support for mental health patients, rather than treatment orders, can transform lives. The bottom line is the people with mental health problems require more personal, hands on help, often from a wide range of people from health care professionals to friends and family. Care in the community can work for some conditions, but the carers require adequate support to make it happen. Making new legislation to force patients to take their medication is wasted if the personal care is missing.
Tweet Me!Recommended Reading
• Too many people are being diagnosed with depression
• Depressed Denied Exercise Help and Advice from NHS
• Google’s Policy on Health Care Information Matters
• Diet Pill Approved By NHS Although There Are Health Risks
• Guard Your Mental Health
