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Out of sight, out of mind: making involuntary community treatment visible in the mental health system
Author(s) -
Light Edwina M,
Kerridge Ian H,
Ryan Christopher J,
Robertson Michael D
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/mja11.11216
Subject(s) - mental health , accountability , invisibility , mental illness , transparency (behavior) , silence , psychiatry , psychology , political science , law , philosophy , physics , optics , aesthetics
Abstract Most specialised mental health services in Australia are delivered in community settings and one in six services comprise involuntary treatment. Despite a growing demand for community treatment orders (CTOs) worldwide — and comparatively high rates of use in Australia — the clinical, legal and ethical aspects of CTOs remain contentious. This article examines federal, state and territory mental health policy documents and discovers little reference to CTOs. The “invisibility” of CTOs in mental health policy raises questions about the transparency and accountability of the mental health system, and about whether this policy silence ultimately entrenches the marginalisation of, and discrimination against, people living with mental illness.