Mental Health Act must be overhauled to tackle racial inequalities, say psychiatrists

Proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act must be enacted without delay to tackle the persistent racial and social inequalities in detention for treatment, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has urged.Latest NHS data show that black people and people living in areas of socioeconomic deprivation remain more likely to be detained under the act than any other groups.1While noting some improvement in the latest figures, the college said that the disparity remained, reflecting “a vicious cycle of inequality and mental illness affecting too many patients.”College president Lade Smith, said, “It is welcome that for the first time we have seen a reduction in detentions among black people, but today’s data shows how far we still have to go. It is obvious what needs to be done—and the Mental Health Act review provided the blueprint.”The Mental Health Act provides the legal authority to keep people with mental illness who are extremely…
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