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JOHN E. GRAY, MARGARET A. SHONE, and PETER F. LIDDLE Canadian Mental Health Law and Policy Markham, ON: Butterworths, 2000, 400 pages (ISBN -0433-43052-4, C$110, Softcover) Reviewed by JOHN HUNSLEY
The approach of most psychologists and other mental health professionals towards the realm of public policy and law is perhaps best characterized as one of benign neglect. Most of us concentrate our efforts on conducting research and/or providing services and professional training. Far too infrequently do we attempt to contribute to the shaping of broader policy issues that affect both those who receive our services and our professions themselves.
Fortunately, the authors of this book - a policy advisor, a lawyer, and a professor of psychiatry - take their responsibility to inform and guide public debate very seriously. They have produced a multidisciplinary text that succinctly summarizes the main points of Canadian mental health laws and the variability across provinces and territories in these laws and in their typical interpretation and application. By their estimates, there are 800,000 Canadians with severe mental disorders (especially schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) whose lives may be touched and, indeed, altered by these laws. For these individuals, their family members, and the health and legal professionals who work with them, this book offers a concise guide to the laws dealing with key issues such as involuntary hospital admission, authorization of psychiatric treatment, and treatment refusal. Although not always an easy read for those unfamiliar with legal terms and writing, the book is geared to a wide audience that includes legal and policy specialists,...