Community-based Compulsory Treatment Orders in Scotland

The early evidence

Simon Lawton-Smith
November 2006 | ISBN 978 1 85717 555 4 | 44 pages | £6.50

In recent years, several countries have introduced powers to compel certain people with mental disorders living in the community to engage with services and undergo treatment. This paper explores what happened in the first six months after community-based compulsory treatment orders were introduced in Scotland in October 2005. It looks at how many people have become subject to the orders, the pathways to being placed on an order, the impacts on mental health staff, and resource issues. It also considers what lessons emerge for England and Wales, which will soon be introducing similar arrangements.