While progress has been made in terms of our understanding of mental health conditions, the truth is that, as a society, we are still some way off from where we need to be. While I'm not a fan of sweeping statements and generalisations, I think it would be fair to say that the stereotypical attitude toward the word 'sectioning' would be one of negativity and fear. However, is sectioning - or being detained under the mental health act - as severe and frightening as it sounds?
In order to provide some clarity and destroy some of the taboos associated with the subject, we sat down with the charity YoungMinds to discuss 'sectioning' and the process that a patient in the UK has to go through in order to be detained and admitted into a mental health hospital.
First things first, what exactly does being 'sectioned' mean? While the majority of us more than likely assumed it means that you are put into a white, padded room against your will and detained for an indefinite period of time, the truth is rather different. There are two ways that someone can be admitted into mental health inpatient care in the UK. The first is as an informal patient, which means voluntarily putting yourself up for treatment. The second route is as a formal patient, which means you're being detained under a section of the Mental Health Act.
If you're detained under the Mental Health Act in Britain, it's because you are deemed to be not well enough to make decisions for yourself at that time. The detainment is designed to keep you safe and stop the risk of you hurting yourself or someone else. However, despite the common misconception that you are detained and treated against your will, your opinions on your own treatment still matter and you have the right to be involved in decisions as much as you can be.
The stigma attached to those people who are 'sectioned' is that they are dangerous, but is this always the case? No, there are a lot of reasons why someone may be detained under the mental health act and detainment should only ever be the last resort. The majority of people admitted to a mental health hospital are there because a team of medical professionals believe that they are no longer in a position to look after themselves, and are detained so that they can be kept safe within a hospital. Often people think that those who have been sectioned may be dangerous to others, however this is only one of the reasons that someone may be detained, and if this happens, they will be supported in a specific hospital setting.
So, what happens when someone is detained under the mental health act, or ‘sectioned’? In order to ensure that the treatment is right for you, you will be assessed by a team of medical professionals who will determine whether hospital is right for you and will be able to give you the help that you need, as well as run you through how mental health hospitals work. If you don’t want to be admitted voluntarily but your doctors believe hospital treatment is the right thing to help you, they will explain this to you and go through what part of the Mental Health Act you’ll be admitted under as well as what your rights are and what your treatment will involve.
Once you are admitted to the hospital, there should be a clear explanation as to why you are there, your rights as a patient and who you can talk to if you have any concerns about your treatment. A care plan should be written up for you for the time that you are in hospital, and include your treatment goals. Your care plan will determine what kind of care you get, which can involve talking therapies, counselling and medication. There are a range of different units available to patients and you may be living in a same-sex unit or a mixed unit with beds divided by gender. In order to make you feel comfortable as possible on your ward, you should have access to a range of activities, and if you’re in school, you should be able to continue your education while you’re in hospital.
While it may be seen as a negative process to have to go through, YoungMinds are keen to emphasise that some of the young people they have worked with in the UK have found being in the hospital to be a hugely positive process, saying that they received fantastic support from other people they lived with. However, they are also keen to stress that for others, hospital can be a much less positive experience, because they’re far away from home and family, or due to the care they receive in hospital. In light of this, the charity has launched their 'Always' campaign, to ensure that the rights of young people in hospitals and their families are always upheld. You can find out more about it here.
Through the likes of movies, music videos and other media outlets, a common image of 'sectioned' inmates includes the use of straitjackets. However, this is another misconception of mental health hospitals.
Straitjackets are not used in mental health hospitals. However, sometimes mental health units do use different forms of restraint to intervene in certain situations. Unfortunately, this is happening far too often and can get in the way of a young person’s recovery. YoungMinds are trying to limit this use of restraint as part of their 'Always' campaign, and want to bring in a law which would improve training in de-escalating techniques and keep a record of whenever restraint is used in mental health units.
Obviously, 'sectioning' doesn't last forever and it is actually time bound. The mental health act has clear limits about how long someone can be detained in hospital. At the end of your section, you will be examined by a medical team who will deem if you have recovered enough. Once you have been discharged, you should still receive follow up treatments near your home and a care plan should be in place in order to make the transition from all-around care to independence smoother.
Personally, I had no idea about the ins and outs of being admitted to a mental health hospital and I no doubt harboured some of these misconceptions. The truth is if we all did a little bit more to learn about these treatments and conditions we could create a much fairer and more accepting society where there isn't such a taboo around subjects to do with mental health.
