Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-270) and index.

Contents: The Mental health act 1983: The basic scheme: Out of mind and out of sight -- Informal admission to hospital -- Detention of "in-patients" under section 5 -- An outline of the compulsory powers -- Hospitals and managers -- Mental disorder and grounds for compulsion: Psychiatry is a problem -- The Legal categories of mental disorder -- The Additional criteria for civil commitment -- Commentary -- The Role of social workers, families and doctors: Patients and paupers -- Social workers and relatives -- Parents, children and local authorities -- The Doctors -- Doctors and social workers: Assessing the patient -- The Machinery of civil commitment: Gaining access -- Ordinary and emergency admission for assessment -- Admissions for treatment under section 3 -- Transfer from guardianship -- Patients detained before the 1983 act -- Scrutiny and rectification of documents -- The National assistance act procedures -- Commentary -- Mentally disordered offenders: Police powers -- Procedure before trial -- Mental disorder as a defence -- Sentencing -- Commentary -- Treatment and management: Treatment and control -- Hospital patients' other rights -- Health service complaints -- The Mental health act commission -- Leaving hospital: Leave of absence -- Transfers -- Absconders and escapers -- Subsequent court orders -- Discharge -- Habeas corpus and judicial review -- Mental health review tribunals: Application and references -- Information, advice and representation -- The tribunal -- The preliminaries -- The hearing -- The Issues -- The Decision and after -- Commentary -- Community care: Assessment and entitlement -- Services for adults -- Services for children -- Protection from abuse and exploitation -- Guardianship -- Commentary -- Ordinary legal rights: Rights of citizenship -- Rights to family life -- Making gifts or contracts -- Acting for a person without capacity -- The Court of protection -- Patients as prosecutors, witnesses and litigants -- Conclusion -- Bibliography of references and further reading.