Mental Health: What we are demanding
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Your support makes all the difference.Although the Bill has been dropped, we still believe that:
* The mentally ill should be given treatment that suits their individual needs.
* Hospital trusts should provide enough psychiatric beds so that patients who are eligible for transfer do not have to spend years locked up in high-security hospitals.
* People suffering from mental illness who are able to make their own decisions should have the right to refuse treatment, unless this poses a risk to the public.
* Psychiatrists should only lock up people as a last resort and only detain those who have committed a crime or who would personally benefit from therapy.
* Men and women suffering from mental illness who live in the community should not have treatment forced on them. Instead, they should be offered safe and comfortable sheltered accommodation and the chance to talk to mentors who can offer care and understanding.
Do you have personal experience of injustice in the mental health system? Or do you have a story to tell? If so, write to Mental Health, The Independent on Sunday Newsdesk, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS. Or email us at mentalhealth@independent.co.uk.
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