Preventing Harm to Others as a Criterion for Compulsory Treatment: An Overview of Criticisms and Current Research

Abstract

Mental health legislation, which enables compulsory detention and treatment of those with severe mental health conditions, usually contains criteria that include the need to prevent harm to self or others. This column provides an overview of criticisms of the harm to others criterion and recent research investigating the association between violence and severe mental health conditions. It argues that despite several criticisms and research indicating only a modest association between violence and certain mental health conditions, there is little momentum for omitting this criterion.