Mental health laws surrounding psychiatric treatment under coercion have remained largely unchanged since the eighteenth century. The grounds for involuntary treatment in psychiatry are first, that the patient has a "mental disorder" that warrants treatment; and second, that the patient needs to be treated in the interests of his or her safety or for the protection of others. Men in White Coats: Treatment under Coercion is an accessible and timely resource on medical treatment under coercion and its justifications. Split into thirteen chapters, George Szmukler examines the current grounds for involuntary treatment of patients with mental disorders. He argues that the existing laws are both discriminatory and morally unacceptable, and that they should be replaced by an entirely different approach for over-riding treatment refusals. Using case studies and real-life experiences, Men in White Coats: Treatment under Coercion discusses how involuntary treatment in psychiatric practice affects patients, their families, and society, and looks to potential solutions to the current legal frameworks surrounding coercion that could be made applicable across all medical specialties and settings.

About the Author
Professor George Szmukler is a psychiatrist whose main research concerns measures aimed at reducing compulsion and 'coercion' in psychiatric care. A key interest is mental health law reform, particularly the development of non-discriminatory, generic legislation which would apply to all persons, regardless of the cause of the underlying disturbance of treatment decision-making. Past posts have included Dean of the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London (2001-2006); Medical Director of the Bethlem and Maudsley NHS Trust (1997-1999), then joint Medical Director of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (1999-2001); Visiting Professor in the Department of Sociology at the London School of Economics (2005-2014); Associate Director of the NIHR Mental Health Research Network, with lead responsibility for Patient and Public Involvement in research (2007-2015).

Reviews
George Szmuklers Men in White Coats: Treatment under Coercion provides an elegant, and extremely readable, overview of the core issues concerning involuntary admission and treatment, grounded in his own clinical practice and the experience of service users. * Alex RK, Mental Capacity Law and Policy *
This was an invigorating read, challenging the longheld orthodoxy of mental health law. It is a text that will surely resonate with all clinicians involved in the application of the Mental Health Act. * BJPsych Bulletin *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198801047
Author George Szmukler
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 141mm * 14mm