TREATMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS

Early day motion 699, tabled 21 January 2002 by Sandra Gidley (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 79 members.

That this House notes with concern the findings of Mind's Yellow Card survey 2001 which shows that 61 per cent. of mental health patients who responded to the survey said they were given insufficient information about treatments, 61 per cent. were not given a choice about treatment, whether between types of treatment, a choice in the use of medication or a choice whether to have treatment, and that this figure rose to 75 per cent. for black and minority ethnic respondents; welcomes the development of drug treatments for mental illness, which have fewer side effects for those who take them; recognises that even newer mental health drugs can have serious side effects; and seeks to widen the treatment debate beyond comparative discussion of the benefits of the different drugs used to treat mental health, particularly if this gives the impression that some drugs are side effect free.

Signatures by party: Labour 43, Liberal Democrat 22, Labour/Co-operative 5, Conservative 3, Plaid Cymru 3, UUP 2, Scottish National Party 1.