New mental health legislation should reduce the State's very high rate of involuntary admission to psychiatric facilities, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said yesterday.
Every year about 2,500 people are admitted to psychiatric hospitals and units against their will.
Ireland's involuntary rate of 75.3 per 100,000 of total population compares with a rate of 49 in England and Wales and 26 in Italy.
"It has declined over the years but it still remains high," he said.
Mr Martin said this high involuntary admission rate was due to "the historical evolution of our services down through the years". The 1945 Mental Treatment Act, which was innovative at the time, was last amended 41 years ago, he said.
The new Mental Health Act was signed into law last July, and it was hoped its more stringent procedures would significantly reduce the number of involuntary admissions.
Mr Martin said the new legislation would bring practice in this State into line with the rest of Europe.
The Mental Health Commission, which has been set up to implement the provisions in the new Act, had its first meeting yesterday.
It is an independent body charged with establishing and maintaining high standards and good practices in the delivery of mental health services.
Mental health tribunals will independently review all decisions to detain a patient on an involuntary basis or to extend the detention.
These reviews must take place within 21 days of the detention, Mr Martin said.
The commission will draw up procedures, guidelines and a code of practice for people involved in the review of detention process. Panels of psychiatrists, lawyers and lay people will be drawn together to serve on the mental health tribunals.
Mr Martin said the establishment of the commission was an important milestone in our treatment of mental illness. "By providing the services on the ground we can prevent admissions to acute services much more than perhaps we did in the past," he said.
