Misinterpreted Act needs changing

By John Besley

When Queen’s Park next sits, Ottawa Centre MPP Richard Patten is planning to re-introduce a private member’s bill that would allow doctors to force mentally ill patients they think could be dangerous to get treatment.

Supporters hope this will ensure that troubled individuals, such as some paranoid schizophrenics whose sickness may cause them to refuse treatment out of fear, to get the treatment vital to their well-being.
Detractors say human rights could be threatened or that the current Mental Health Act could work if only health officials would interpret it properly. read more

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