Chapter 8 Key facts checklists

A mental disorder is any disorder or disability of the mind.
Mental health law deals with the civil aspects of detention and treatment of people with a mental health disorder.
Compulsory admission and compulsory treatment may be used if patients pose threats to themselves, to others, or if this is the only way to ensure that they receive treatment.
Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights protects rights to liberty and challenges to compulsory admission.
An informal patient is a person with a mental health disorder who does not resist hospital admission for treatment. Most patients with mental health disorders are treated as informal patients.
The Mental Health Act 2007 has amended the Mental Health Act 1983.
The Code of Practice (2015) provides guidance on the interpretation of the Mental Health Act 1983.