View Mental Health Act: http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/00_96288_01
What is the purpose of this act?
What powers are conferred on the state or its agents?
How does this act benefit society?
List governmental and community based agencies that work within this legislated act.
What issues may be associated with the administration of this act?
How would you support and advocate for your clients in relationship to this act?
Identify community resources in your area that may assist clients to navigate through legal systems.
Describe and explain current or historical events as seen through the media that relate to this act, convention or charter. Provide a related link or copy of a newspaper article.
Mental Health 101
CBC News, October 15, 2012
http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/mentalhealth101/
An alarming number of young people are anxious and depressed. One in five has a mental illness. One in ten considers suicide as the solution.
Amanda Todd’s death was more about mental health than bullying
By Diane Bederman. The Star Toronto, October 17, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1273041--amanda-todd-s-death-was-more-about-mental-health-than-bullying
Amanda Todd, a 15 year-old girl from British Columbia, who killed herself because she was being bullied. However, why is Amanda’s mental illness been given such a short shrift? Amanda had previously attempted suicide, she was a cutter, she cried all the time, and she admitted to self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. On Oct. 10, a day before Amanda took her life a new report on mental illness, “Opening Eyes, Opening Minds” by the institute for clinical and evaluative sciences and public health Ontario concluded that mental illness and addictions are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and ignored, even in the health-care system. Amanda needed help so why was she not getting it? Mental health carries with it a stigma and those with mental illness often suffer in silence.
What is the purpose of this act?
- To ensure the treatments of the mentally disordered provide protection and care.
- It helps provide people with mental disorders the treatment and care they need when they are not willing to accept it.
- It provides authority, criteria, and procedures for involuntary admission to treatment.
- It contains protections to ensure that these provisions are applied in an appropriate and lawful manner.
What powers are conferred on the state or its agents?
- Each patient must be admitted to the designated facility and provided with professional service, care and treatment appropriate to the patient's condition and appropriate to the function of the designated facility.
- Practitioners must establish and maintain appropriate standards to the functioning of the designated facility.
- They have the power to determine patient leave, and discharge conditions.
- The authority to transfer a patient from one designated facility to another in cooperation with the director of the new designated facility receiving the transferred patient.
How does this act benefit society?
- This Act protects the rights of people who require mental health treatment.
- The Act prevents discrimination for the mental health patients when it comes to issues like employment opportunities.
- Having guidelines for health care providers to follow diminishes the number of people with mental illness not receiving the care they need due to discrepancies.
- Having a framework from which to work also makes the process more accessible to those who might not be fully knowledgeable in the area of mental illness.
List governmental and community based agencies that work within this legislated act.
- Victoria Mental Health Center: http://www.viha.ca/mhas/locations/victoria_gulf/cms.htm
- Public Health Agency of Canada: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/index-eng.php
- The Department of Justice: http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/index.html
- Canadian Mental Health Association: http://www.cmha.ca/
What issues may be associated with the administration of this act?
- There may be a tendency for health care providers to stick to rigid guidelines or protocol which may not fit the profile of all patients.
- Individuals are complex, with complex needs, care may suffer when trying to fit patients into a system that might not meet their needs.
- When a physician has made his or her judgment regarding a patient’s mental state at the time of admission, it is rarely changed, even though a patient’s mental state may change.
How would you support and advocate for your clients in relationship to this act?
- Emphasis on protecting the clients rights.
- Ensuring the family members of the patient and the patient have the necessary supports to exercise their rights.
- Listen to their concerns and point of view.
- Investigate any complaints made.
- As an advocate I have resources for those who are seeking clarification about the rights, detention, and care of patients or clients under the Mental Health Act.
Identify community resources in your area that may assist clients to navigate through legal systems.
- The Mental Health Law Program at Community Legal Assistance Services: http://www.clasbc.net/mental_health_law_program.php
- The Integrated Mobile Crisis Response Team:
- REES Program (Resources, Education, Employment & Support):
- UVic's Resource Centre for Students with a Disability: http://rcsd.uvic.ca/index.html
Describe and explain current or historical events as seen through the media that relate to this act, convention or charter. Provide a related link or copy of a newspaper article.
Mental Health 101
CBC News, October 15, 2012
http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/mentalhealth101/
An alarming number of young people are anxious and depressed. One in five has a mental illness. One in ten considers suicide as the solution.
Amanda Todd’s death was more about mental health than bullying
By Diane Bederman. The Star Toronto, October 17, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1273041--amanda-todd-s-death-was-more-about-mental-health-than-bullying
Amanda Todd, a 15 year-old girl from British Columbia, who killed herself because she was being bullied. However, why is Amanda’s mental illness been given such a short shrift? Amanda had previously attempted suicide, she was a cutter, she cried all the time, and she admitted to self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. On Oct. 10, a day before Amanda took her life a new report on mental illness, “Opening Eyes, Opening Minds” by the institute for clinical and evaluative sciences and public health Ontario concluded that mental illness and addictions are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and ignored, even in the health-care system. Amanda needed help so why was she not getting it? Mental health carries with it a stigma and those with mental illness often suffer in silence.