 |
| Research article summary (published 27 Feb 2002): |
Challenging contemporary mental health policy: time to assuage the coercion?
Full Abstract
BACKGROUND:
In the United Kingdom (UK) and elsewhere throughout the world, the policy and legal frameworks that surround the provision of mental health care are becoming increasingly coercive. For example, emerging mental health policy in the UK includes a commitment to the introduction of compulsory treatment in the community.
AIMS:
In this paper, our aims are:
to explore the context in which this more coercive mental health policy has arisen in the UK; to challenge the assumptions and the evidence that lie behind the introduction of proposed new mental health policies; and to consider the impact that a more coercive policy is likely to have on the practice of mental health nursing.
DISCUSSION:
In the UK, representatives of central government have declared that 'care in the community has failed'. This view has been reinforced by media representations of mental health issues. Policy documents have drawn attention to the risks posed by people with mental illnesses. Correspondingly, proposed initiatives emphasize the need to more closely 'manage' people with mental health problems, and set out a new legislative and policy framework to achieve this. We question the assumptions and evidence that underlie these planned new developments. We argue that, contrary to government assertions, there is no unequivocal evidence that 'community care' has failed. We observe, too, that people with mental health difficulties are often amongst the most vulnerable members of society. Finally, we consider the impact that a more coercive policy framework will have on the work of mental health nurses, and argue that the shift towards a more 'controlling' role is likely to run counter to what many nurses see as the 'core' of their work.
Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills
Author information
Author/s: Hannigan, Ben (B); Cutcliffe, John (J);
Affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, University of Wales College of Medicine, Caerleon Education Centre, Caerleon, Newport, UK. hanniganb(-atsign-)cardiff.ac.uk
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Review
Journal: Journal of advanced nursing (J Adv Nurs), published in England. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2002-Mar; vol 37 (issue 5) : pp 477-84
Dates: Created 2002/02/14; Completed 2002/03/27; Revised 2005/11/16;
PMID: 11843987, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):
Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.
This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.
MeSH headings (categories)
This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.
|
|
Related articles
This article has not been indexed for related articles as yet, however you can still use the live related article search links below.
See a large map of 100+ related articles.