Amendments to the Mental Health Act 1983: implications for people with learning disabilities

Abstract

The new Mental Health Act 2007 substantially amends the Mental Health Act 1983. In this article, some of the most important changes are highlighted, including changes to the definition of mental disorder, the new professional roles of approved mental health practitioner and responsible clinician, and the new powers for Supervised Community Treatment. The likely impact of these changes for people with learning disability and professionals working with them is discussed.

Citation

Hall, I. and Ali, A. (2009), "Amendments to the Mental Health Act 1983: implications for people with learning disabilities", Advances in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1108/17530180200900002