Understanding Treatment Without Consent

'This book concerns a very important area of health and social care - the regulation of the ways in which British citizens of all ethnicities can be deprived of their liberty where they have a mental illness that might cause harm to themselves or others. Since new UK legislation is struggling to develop new ways of extending these powers for those deemed to have severe personality disorder, this is a very timely and welcome review of the context in which such powers are regulated, and the experiences of patients subject to detention. Ian Shaw and Hugh Middleton have assembled a rich multifaceted collection of chapters covering history, data, analysis and legal argument to illuminate the contemporary issues and future for regulation, and the strengths and weaknesses of the alternatives available.' Nick Manning, University of Nottingham, UK 'This is a timely publication coming on the eve of the operationalization of new mental health legislation covering England and Wales...Understanding Treatment Without Consent contains eight brief chapters covering different aspects of the work of the Mental Health Act Commission...the first providing a brief history of mental health, and the last considering the future without the commission...' Metapsychology Online Reviews '... this is a highly useful book for anyone concerned with mental health and the balance between individual and community rights. The intractability of the problem is brought home by the editors pointing to the fact that despite all the improvements in treatment and laws for protection, the basic science of mental health has not advanced much and the hospitals still provide poor care.' The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 'This book describes how the Commission carries out its tasks and the sort of information it collects. But it also goes further..For those who wish to understand better what the MHAC does this book is worth reading.' The British Journal of Psychiatry 'Don't be deterred by the book