Sir, – Henry Murdoch (Opinion, April 11th) wants to believe that the mental health tribunals somewhat protect involuntary patients and he makes valuable suggestions as to how they should be improved. He sat on 50 tribunals since 2006, so has great experience and clearly wants human rights extended to involuntary patients.
One can be admitted as a voluntary patient, but within a short time be made involuntary! He says patients have opportunity to “tell their story”. As a family member at a few tribunals, I haven’t witnessed much of that, and neither was I allowed speak.
He highlights one very important and serious point – that the tribunal has no power in relation to the treatment or medication regime. Neither do the involuntary patient or family member have a say in this, regardless of the risks of medications or combinations of drugs forcibly used on the patient.
If a patient has coped for years with mental illness and psychiatric treatment, a family member may be well aware of how their loved one was affected by various medications and heeding that could protect a patient.
Today, in spite of tribunals, lengthy hospital stays, and more publicity about mental illness, suicide, etc, all that is offered is drugs, and drugs without adequate monitoring, and nothing else.– Yours, etc,