Appealing under the Act

The number of people detained under the Mental Health Act rose to an all-time high in 2005-6. At the same time an increasing proportion of these people appealed to mental-health tribunals to overturn the decision to detain them. Several studies have shown that African Caribbean people are more likely to be compulsorily detained than other people. A study of detentions and appeals at an outer-London hospital has found that detentions rose from 203 in 1996 to 279 in 2006. The percentage of cases going to appeal rose from 34% to 81% during the same period. However, there was no real difference in the results of the appeals and the results of the appeals were not associated with gender, ethnicity, mental status or age. About 12% of the appeals were successful.

Dhananjay, Kumar Singh and Moncrieff, Joanna - Trends in mental health review tribunal and hospital managers' hearings in north-east London 1997-2007 Psychiatric Bulletin 2009, 33, 15-17