Keith Wilding explains why the independent review of the Mental Health Act 1983 should take a broad approach
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The review must look beyond the 1983 Act, taking account of mental capacity and adult protection.
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There may be confusion and overlap between various types of intervention.
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Current thinking on compulsory intervention must be considered.
An independent review of the Mental Health Act 1983, to be chaired by Sir Simon Wessely, a past president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, was announced by the Prime Minister on 4 October 2017. It appears to have been prompted by, among other things, the rising rates of detention under the 1983 Act of persons suffering from mental disorder but it is no doubt part of the present high profile of mental health issues. A previous review in 1999—The Report of the Expert Committee—Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Richardson Report)—made cogent analysis of the 1983 Act and made a series of recommendations that never came to fruition. The Prime Minister’s announcement, however, offers a fresh opportunity to comprehensively
