Carer experience of Community Treatment Orders: Implications for rights based/recovery-oriented mental health legislation

Abstract

Objective: Our aim was to determine the views and experiences of carers of people with severe mental illness in regard to Community Treatment Orders (CTOs). Method: Questionnaires were posted using the mailing lists of two well-established carer support organisations in Victoria. The questionnaires included information about the person with a mental illness, the carer and their experience of care (ECI) and knowledge of recovery (RKI). Results: In total, 278 questionnaires were sent and 63 returned, of which 62 provided valid data. Those who responded were predominantly female (90%) and older (mean age 63 years), and were the carer of a person with a severe and recurrent mental illness. Some ..