Biomaterial Database

Protecting the rights of detained patients. 1996

M Barnes

Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, England.

Compulsory detention in a psychiatric hospital constrains, but does not remove the rights of those admitted. The mental health laws of different countries provide for various mechanisms intended to protect the rights of detained patients. In the U.K. the Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC) was established to oversee the implementation of the 1983 Mental Health Act as a whole, and to ensure the proper treatment of individuals detained under the Act. This paper will consider the way in which the MHAC fulfills its remit, and reflect on its capacity to preserve the rights of mentally disordered people as citizens as well as patients.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010344	Patient Advocacy	Promotion and protection of the rights of patients, frequently through a legal process.	Patient Ombudsmen,Patient Representatives,Clinical Ombudsman,Patient Ombudsman,Advocacy, Patient,Ombudsman, Clinical,Ombudsman, Patient,Ombudsmen, Patient,Patient Representative,Representative, Patient,Representatives, Patient
D003134	Commitment of Mentally Ill	Legal process required for the institutionalization of a patient with severe mental problems.	Outpatient Commitment,Commitment, Outpatient,Mentally Ill Commitments
D006113	United Kingdom	Country in northwestern Europe including Great Britain and the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland, located between the North Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is London.	Great Britain,Isle of Man
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001523	Mental Disorders	Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function.	Mental Illness,Psychiatric Diseases,Psychiatric Disorders,Psychiatric Illness,Behavior Disorders,Diagnosis, Psychiatric,Mental Disorders, Severe,Psychiatric Diagnosis,Illness, Mental,Mental Disorder,Mental Disorder, Severe,Mental Illnesses,Psychiatric Disease,Psychiatric Disorder,Psychiatric Illnesses,Severe Mental Disorder,Severe Mental Disorders