THE MENTAL HEALTH ACT 1983

The Mental health Act 1983 and 2007 in context with European Convention on Human Rights

The Mental Health Act

Introduction

The paper discusses the mental health legislation, and it is purpose which is to make certain that some patients suffering from a mental disorder are forced to accept admission to hospital and compulsory treatment without their consent. The policy is undertaken to ensure that no discrimination occurs in the provision of mental health programs. Today there is uncertainty about what it means and refers to the notion of mental illness. This uncertainty due to the spectrum of mental health ranging from psychosis, severe mental retardation and development personnel, the fact that stakeholder are strongly divided not only on strategies that are therapeutic, but also the conceptions underlying the human subject that these conceptions commitment. The paper discusses the impact the policy has on the development of mental health system, its historical background and the issues that shaped up the policy. The paper also discusses the role of the government, professional personnel's and the service users in improving and implementing the policy (Phil, 2011, 277).

Poverty is rightly becoming a major focus of global, regional and national initiatives. GIP calls for recognition of the key role of good mental health in poverty reduction, and deplores the absence of mental health concerns from policy-making and action on the socioeconomic determinants of health and prosperity. GIP also advocates a range of actions at all levels aimed not only at alleviating suffering but also at prevention. Cost-effective medical treatments can help individuals and families rise out of poverty. A variety of therapeutic and social measures have proved effective, including psychological help for unemployed people to re-enter the labour market, and supported employment for people with severe mental illness or learning disabilities. Action is also needed at community, national and international levels to tackle inequalities - requiring social and structural changes to create healthier, fairer and more productive societies. Not only the individual person must be the focus, but also the social situation, processes and structures with which the individual interacts.

Theme one: Access to Information and Services

Access, or more pointedly lack of access, to important information and needed services was the most salient and overarching area of concern for the participants in our study. Parents indicated that they often encountered many challenges related to access (Bradley, 2005, 10-14).

Theme two: Financial Barriers to Obtaining Services

Financial barriers not only serve as a strain for families, but they also may preclude access to quality services. Parents indicated that their financial status often prevented them from obtaining services for their child with a disability. When the moderator asked a group of parents if their needs were being met, several parents mentioned that this depended on their financial status. Several participants reported that they did not qualify for many services because their financial status was not in the poverty range.

Parents across the study reported financial barriers to obtaining needed services for their children with ...