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Article: Race equality, human rights and mental health legislation: recent developments in England and Wales.(editorials)
- Article from:
- South African Journal of Psychiatry
- Article date:
- August 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 South African Medical Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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England now has revised mental health legislation following the passage of a mental health Bill through both Houses of Parliament following protracted discussions over seven years. The Mental Health Bill 2006, amending the Mental Health Act 1983, eventually received Royal Assent on 19 July 2007. There is much that could be said about the new Act, which makes a number of important changes to the present legislation. These changes include a new single definition of mental disorder; the abolition of the so-called 'treatability test'; and the extension of compulsion into the community through a supervised community treatment order.
However, we wish to focus on a ...