How reform to the Mental Health Act should balance people's treatment with increased autonomy

By Jeremy Dixon, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, University of Bath
Judy Laing, Professor of Mental Health Law & Policy, University of Bristol

Across the world, compulsory powers are used to detain and treat people deemed to have mental health problems. In the UK, most people experiencing such problems receive treatment voluntarily, in the community. However, at times of acute mental health crisis, some may be compulsorily detained in the interests of their own health or safety, or for the protection of other people.

In England and Wales, decisions about whether or not to detain are normally made by an approved mental health professional and two doctors. These decisions are ethically challenging, because they involve removing…

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