New Bill on Mental Health 'Unethical'
by Celia Hall

The Mental Health Bill will include measures to compel people to have treatment in the community and to detain some with personality disorders before any crime has been committed, the Government said yesterday.

Its robust response to 107 recommendations from an inquiry by a scrutiny committee into the draft Bill makes it clear that the Government considers public safety to be as important as the rights of the mentally ill.

Agreeing with only about half of the recommendations from the joint Commons and Lords pre-legislative scrutiny committee, the Department of Health said: "We must state very firmly that we disagree with the committee's criticism that the Bill places too much emphasis on public safety and not enough on patient rights."

Rosie Winterton, health minister, said yesterday: "Although the majority of mental health patients pose no danger to themselves or others, the Government has a duty to protect people with serious mental health problems from harming themselves or other people. We are confident that the Bill's provisions will mean that compulsory treatment will be used only when it is essential."

The Royal College of Psychiatrists said it was disappointed with the Government's failure to adopt "many of the most important" recommendations of the committee. Dr Tony Zigmond, the vice-president, said: "It is sad that Government still fails to understand that it is unethical to force treatment on people who are well enough to make their treatment decisions."

Between 50 and 75 unlawful killings a year are carried out by people with a mental health history and who have been in and out of hospitals. Another 1,500 commit suicide.
The Daily Telegraph, 14th July 2005

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