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The Mental Health Act 1983

Views of Section 12(2)-approved doctors on selected areas of current legislation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Vijay Bhatti ,
Jeremy Kenney-Herbert ,
Rosemarie Cope  and
Martin Humphreys
Vijay Bhatti
Affiliation:
Reaside Clinic, Birmingham Great Park, Bristol Road South, Rubery, Birmingham B45 9BE
Jeremy Kenney-Herbert
Affiliation:
Reaside Clinic, Birmingham Great Park, Bristol Road South, Rubery, Birmingham B45 9BE
Rosemarie Cope
Affiliation:
Reaside Clinic, Birmingham Great Park, Bristol Road South, Rubery, Birmingham B45 9BE
Martin Humphreys*
Affiliation:
Reaside Clinic, Birmingham Great Park, Bristol Road South, Rubery, Birmingham B45 9BE
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

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Aims and method

A one-in-five random sample (n=104) of practitioners approved under Section 12(2) of the Mental Health Act 1983 in the West Midlands was selected. Opinions were sought on issues relating to current law and potential reform.

Results

Eighty-three (80%) doctors were interviewed. Over half (52%) stated that the term ‘mental illness' in the Act was unsatisfactory. Two-thirds (68%) specified the need for a review of legislation relating to treatment in the community.

Clinical implications

There was a diversity of views. This is likely to be reflected in the clinical practice of those interviewed. Many respondents believed that there was a need for reform in specific areas of the Act.

Type
Original Papers
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 23 , Issue 9: The Journal of Trends in Psychiatric Practice , September 1999 , pp. 534 - 536
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

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