44% of involuntary admissions reversed

Almost half of all involuntary admissions to mental health facilities were overturned before the person was sent for help last year.

Latest Mental Health Commission figures confirm that of the 2,132 people who were due to be sent to a mental health facility against their will 1,457, or 44%, of the decisions were changed before the admission occurred.

The rate, which is in line with levels since 2009, relates to decisions which were revoked by the consultant psychiatrist who initially called for the admission before a mental health tribunal took place.

Under section 28 of the 2001 Mental Health Act, a medic may do this if they feel the person in question no longer has to be detained. As part of these conditions, the individual in question may still receive care at a mental health facility, but will be re-classed as a voluntary patient.

During 2013 a total of 1,896 mental health tribunal hearings were held, resulting in 9% of involuntary admissions being overturned, up 1% on 2012. The tribunals were set up in recent years in order to ensure an involuntarily-admitted patient could challenge the decision to detain them against their wishes.

In total, last year saw 2,132 involuntary admission orders and 1,193 renewal orders requested for patients who were refusing to enter a mental health facility voluntarily. Of this group, 46 people were involuntarily detained on three or more occasions.

Men were the subject of 54% of the involuntary admission requests and women 46%.

The request for a doctor to sign off on the admission was most regularly made by a spouse or relative (57%), with gardaí involved in 19% of cases.