Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, Shaftesbury Clinic, Springfield University Hospital, London SW17 7D
Indian J Psychiatry. 2004 Apr;46(2):104-14.
The paper makes the case for a new mental health act for India in view of the deficiencies of the current act. It argues that any new mental health act must be grounded in sound ethical principles, value basic human rights, provide powers to those who treat mental disorders and reflect the values and trends of the modern world. It favours a quasi-legal system with opportunities for independent scrutiny, allows treatment consistent with ethical and legal principles, one that makes way for a more transparent and accountable system. Such a system, the paper asserts, will be legally, ethically and clinically relevant, responsive, accessible and available at the time of need and therefore user-friendly. It recommends the linkage of the act with existing mental health policies of the government, thereby making the act powerful and interwoven in the tapestry of health care delivery initiatives of the government.
本文针对当前法案的缺陷，为印度制定新的心理健康法案提出了理由。文章认为，任何新的心理健康法案都必须建立在健全的伦理原则基础上，尊重基本人权，为治疗精神障碍的人员赋予权力，并反映现代世界的价值观和趋势。它赞成建立一种准法律制度，为独立审查提供机会，允许符合伦理和法律原则的治疗方法，为建立一个更加透明和负责的制度铺平道路。本文断言，这样的制度在法律、伦理和临床方面都是相关的、有回应能力的、可及的和可用的，在需要的时候是用户友好的。本文建议将该法案与政府现有的心理健康政策联系起来，从而使该法案具有更强的影响力，并融入政府的医疗保健服务计划中。
