The Mental Treatment Act (Northern Ireland): Some Practical Points

[ HE Mental TIreatment Act (N.I.) comes into force on 1st October; and this seems an opportune occasion for placing before the medical profession in Northern Ireland a digest of the Act in so far as thev are or may be concerned. TIhe first point worthy of note is the fact that, whereas hitherto mental cases could only by treated inl public or private asylums, in future they may be received into "houses,' nursing'-lhomies, lhospitals, or into public or private mental hospitals, the only proviso being that the houses, lnursing-homes, or hospitals concernedl must have been approved andl registered by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The methods of admitting patients to the above authorised places of treatment are similar. There is no differetnce between the person with means and the person without. Patients may be admitted in one of three ways (a) Voluntarily. (b) Temporarily witlhout certification. (c) With certification. (a) Any personi over the age of 16 years suffering from an illness of a mental or kindred nature may be received for treatmnent by making a written application to the person in charge of one of the above-mentionied institutions. In the case of a person undler 16 such application must be made by a parent or guardian, an(l must be accompanied by a medical certificate of approved form. This certificate shall be valid for a period of fourteen (lays from the date of the last examination of the patient. A voluntary patienit may leave the place of treatment on giving seventy-two hours' notice in writinig of his intentioni to do so. (b) A patient, unfit on accounit of his mental condition to be admitte(d voluntarily and who is likelv to recover within six moniths, may be admitted for temporary treatment on a written applicationi by a relative or other authorised person. This applicationi must be accompanied by a recommendationi completed by two medical practitioncrs, wlho shall have eitlher conjointly or separately examined the patient. In the latter event, a perio(d of over five clcar days between the dates of examination invalidates the recommenidation, which otherwise has effect for fourteen days from the date of the last examiniation. No recommenidation by a magistrate is reqtuired. (c) Under this category patienits must, as in the past, be certified as being of unsounc minind. A reception or(der made by a resident magistrate or justice of the peace following the submissioni of a …