Law and mental health--on the role of lawmaking in the process of developing psychiatric care.
Mental health (as well as somatic health) depends on individual biological, psychological and social factors as well as more general societal factors. If one wishes to promote health, it is necessary to work in many different fields hopefully in a synergistic way. As a psychiatrist and clinician one is inclined to believe that developments in psychiatric science and practice are the most important activities to improve the mental health situation in a population. But, at the same time it is apparent that societal processes of social, political and economic nature also play a decisive role. One of the most important factors in the development of society is lawmaking by which its nature is setting the norms in a society and which is also usually combined with some kind of sanction system to support the norms. Lawmakers also have the possibility to interfere in the process of developing knowledge and practice in different fields, for example through supporting treatment and research of a special kind or even to forbid special kinds of treatment and research in certain areas. Lawmakers are also inclined to believe that if there is a law this will be enough to answer these challenges. I think it is extremely important that lawmaking in the field of mental health is in broad agreement with the development in the scientific and practical field of psychiatry and other mental health disciplines. This is the subject of this paper.
Umea Universitet, Sweden.
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Jacobsson
D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013548:Sweden