Mental Health Act to cover severe substance use if life-threatening

Background

We call on the Government to amend the Mental Health Act to include severe substance use disorder. Currently, this alone does not meet the threshold for detention. If a person is deemed to have mental capacity, they can refuse treatment even if their addiction is causing life-threatening harm.

Additional details

I am calling on the Government to amend the Mental Health Act to address, what in our view, is a dangerous gap in severe addiction cases. When substance dependence is causing life-threatening harm, services may decline assessment because addiction alone does not meet Mental Health Act thresholds. We believe this leaves professionals and families powerless while people deteriorate. We need a statutory duty to assess high-risk cases and lawful pathways to intervene to preserve life.

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