Changing patterns in the use of the Mental Health Act 1983 in England, 1984-1996.
BACKGROUND
The Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) is due to be revised by Parliament in the near future.


OBJECTIVE
To explore changes in the use of the Act since its introduction.


METHODS
The Department of Health and the Home Office routinely collect data on the numbers of patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals under the MHA. We present absolute figures, by year, for the total numbers admitted under each section of the Act. We used the total psychiatric hospital admissions and total prison populations as denominator data.


RESULTS
Formal admissions rose from 16,044 in 1984 to 26,308 in 1996, a 63% increase. Admissions under the MHA have increased as a proportion of all admissions. The increase is mainly accounted for by changes in the use of Part II of the Act, in particular sections 2 and 3. The use of forensic sections (Part III) has also increased, with a marked increase of sections 47 and 48. Use of Part X of the Act (sections 135 and 136) declined in the late 1980s but rose again in the 1990s.


CONCLUSIONS
Formal admissions are more common than they were in 1984, despite there being fewer psychiatric beds. This is probably due to changes in the provision of psychiatric services, and changing societal pressures on psychiatrists away from libertarianism and towards coercion.
M
M
Hotopf
S
S
Wall
A
A
Buchanan
S
S
Wessely
R
R
Churchill
D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000639:trends*; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011330:Prisons / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012308:Risk Management; D006113:United Kingdom