Mental Health Act - compulsory treatment orders: guide

2 Care and treatment for mental disorder

Care and treatment for people with mental disorder covers a range of different things including: medication; talking therapies; training services; and services to promote social and independent living skills.

People's needs for care and treatment can vary greatly depending on their particular circumstances.

Many people will receive care and treatment on a voluntary basis, i.e. they will agree to accept it being provided for them. The Act deals with situations where it is believed that someone needs care and treatment, but that care and treatment cannot be provided on a voluntary basis. This may be either because the person refuses to accept it, or where they are unable to accept it (perhaps because they are too ill to make a decision about it). There are powers set out in the Act which allow care and treatment to be provided in these types of situations, subject to conditions and safeguards being met. This guide looks at one of these powers, the compulsory treatment order ( CTO).