Changes between the 1959 and 1983 Mental Health Acts (England & Wales),with particular reference to consent to treatment for electroconvulsive therapy

Abstract

Consent to treatment was not mentioned in the Mental Health Act 1959, assuming that a detained patient could be treated against his/her will. However, consent was a cr ucial new feature in the 1983 Act.This paper traces and evaluates the issues, debates, people and organizations in England and Wales who advocated and enabled this important change to come about, using examples from the clinical practice of electroconvulsive therapy.

Keywords

consent to treatment ECT electroconvulsive therapy England Mental Health Act MIND Royal College of Psychiatrists Wales

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