Abstract:
The New Zealand Mental Health (compulsory assessment
and treatment) act [1] was amended to mandate the consultation
of family and care-givers in every stage of civil
committal. Although the use of committal has been seen
by clinicians as an impediment to care [2] and clinicians
continue to have concerns about the timing of discharge
from the act [3], many people with serious mental illness
have experienced the act as beneficial [4]. A recent review
of the regulations has increased the length and detail of
the reports clinicians have to provide to the court. This,
combined with a clear directive that an advocate who is
not part of the clinical care process must be present during
the clinical interview to commence committal, may be
causing a conflict between the provision of care in a timely
manner when patients are at risk and complying with the
requirements of the court.
Description:
Conference details: WPA Thematic Conference. Coercive Treatment in Psychiatry: A Comprehensive Review
Dresden, Germany. 6–8 June 2007. An open access copy of this article is available and complies with the copyright holder/publisher conditions.
