Introduction

General Practitioners can be involved in Mental Health Act assessments in a variety of settings:

• Home - the patient may be causing serious concern to family or neighbours.
• Hospital - the patient may have already been admitted informally, or even admitted for treatment for a physical illness and is now needing to be detained under an emergency, assessment or treatment section of the Act as they meet the criteria for mental disorder under the Act and are unwilling to accept treatment as an informal patient.  
• Police station – the patient may have been taken to a police station following arrest for an offence or as a place of safety after being found in a public place exhibiting symptoms of mental disorder (section 136 of the Act). 

Last edited: 20/1/2004

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