Psychiatric Emergencies and the Law: The Impact of the Mental Health Act (1959)

Psychiatric Emergencies and the Law: The Impact of the Mental Health Act (1959) presents the changes made before and after the implementation of the Mental Health Act of 1959. It discusses the procedures for admitting patients with mental disorder. It addresses the practical implications of such policy in the administration of psychiatric hospitals serving the City. Some of the topics covered in the book are the Lunacy Act of 1890 and 1845; the main provisions of the Mental Health Act of 1959; method of investigation; source of referral by legal status; legal status on admission; psychiatric history; readmission rate; and legal status of transfers to mental hospitals. Types of admission such as the informal admission, emergency admission, and police admission are fully covered. The admission of adolescent, geriatric, alcoholic, drug addict, and psychopathic patients are discussed in detail. The text describes in depth the subnormals, schizophrenics, and manic-depressives. The number of deaths in the psychiatric ward is presented completely. A chapter is devoted to the analysis of the statistical data on the number of patient base on gender, age, nationality, and social status. The book can provide useful information to psychologists, doctors, students, and researchers.