The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 of India: A challenge and an opportunity.

The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 of India: A challenge and an opportunity. Asian J Psychiatr. 2019 Jul 08;44:25-28 Authors: Namboodiri V, George S, Singh SP Abstract The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 replaced the Mental Health Act 1987, subsequent to India's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007. The Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA) 2017 upholds patient autonomy, dignity, rights and choices during mental healthcare and thus marks a bold step in India's mental health legislation. This new Law marks a major shift in the way mental healthcare is delivered, as it aims to protect and promote the rights of people during the delivery of mental healthcare. Within this Act, a capacitous individual cannot be coerced into receiving treatment for mental illness and inpatient admissions can be 'independent' or 'supported'. 'Supported admission' replaces involuntary admission from the previous legislation. State mental health authorities and mental health review boards will play a major role in the implementation of the new Act. The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 is aimed at bringing about radical transformation to mental healthcare in India. PMID: 31302439 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Asian Journal of Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Asian J Psychiatr Source Type: research