Detention of in-patients under section 5(2) of the Mental Health Act 1983.

All applications of s.5(2) of the Mental Health Act 1983, allowing the emergency detention of voluntary in-patients in North Cheshire between 1985 and 1995, were reviewed to examine general trends in its use and to assess variables likely to influence its outcome. Of the 877 applications implemented (4% of all admissions), 500 (57%) were converted to longer-term detention under the Act, 396 (45%) were converted to s.2 and 104 (12%) to s.3. The other 377 (43%) detained patients under s.5(2) regained informal status. The review found that time of application of section, length of hospital stay prior to application, medical officer's grade, use of s.5(4) and clinical diagnosis are best predictors of s.5(2) outcome. The results are similar to other published studies and seem to reflect a national pattern, possibly implying that patients detained under this short-term detention order have an almost equal chance of either regaining their voluntary status or being detained under another section by the end of the 72 hours. This may raise questions about the purpose of s.5(2) as expressed by the Mental Health Act Commission.