Mental health legislation has a lengthy history in most societies. Legislation commonly outlines the circumstances under which treatment without consent is permitted in psychiatric facilities. While the history of mental health legislation varies somewhat across jurisdictions, many saw significant expansions in mental health law during the nineteenth century, especially with the establishment o…
According to one school of thought, reflected by some (but not all) United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO) bodies, substitute decision-making and treatment without consent should cease.
Why Does Psychiatry Exist? -- The History of Psychiatry -- Diagnosing Mental Illness -- Treating Symptoms and Disorders -- Treatment Without Consent -- Neuroscience and Psychiatry -- Psychiatry, Culture, and Society -- Self-Harm and Suicide -- Global Injustice in Mental Health Care -- The Future of Psychiatry : Person-Centred Care and System-Level Change -- Epilogue.