Mental Health Professionals' Attitudes Towards Legal Compulsion: Report of a National Survey

Abstract

This article presents findings from a national postal survey of mental health practitioners' views about key aspects of current legislation and proposed law reform regarding the use of compulsion in England and Wales. Differences between psychiatrists, general practitioners, approved social workers, and Mental Health Act Commissioners were examined. Data from 2022 respondents revealed strong areas of agreement between practitioner groups about the circumstances where legal compulsion (the use of forcible treatment; abridgement of the right to refuse treatment; the use of detention) should be available. The results also demonstrated, however, considerable attitudinal distance between practitioners and core aspects of the reforms proposed by the government. Given that the governmental proposals appear to be at odds with the prevailing views of practitioners, there is likely to be substantial resistance to implementing core aspects of the reforms. The contentious areas include over-riding refusal of treatment by patients who retain their capacity to decide for themselves, as well as the preventive detention of those with untreatable personality disorder.