These resources about Mental Health Act rights are external to the MHARA research team and may change without notice. Please contact us to report any broken links.
Ministry of Health
Mental Health Act forms
The Ministry of Health makes all Mental Health Act forms publicly available. The following are especially relevant for learning about, and exercising, your Mental Health Act rights:
- Form 7: Application for Review Panel Hearing
- Form 11: Request for Second Medical Opinion
- Form 13: Notification to Involuntary Patient or Rights under the Mental Health Act
- Form 14: Notification to Patient under Age 16, Admitted by Parent or Guardian, of Rights under the Mental Health Act
The Guide to the Mental Health Act (2005)
The Guide to the Mental Health Act was produced by the Ministry of Health and has some information for patients and their care partners about Mental Health Act rights. This index to the guide may help you find what you are looking for.
Mental Health Act
All of the resources above are based on the legislation:
Clinical practice guidelines
These guidelines haven’t been interpreted through a rights lens from a patient’s or family care partner’s perspective, but several people have asked for more information about restraints, seclusion, and electroconvulsive therapy. These Ministry of Health documents may help people understand how these issues fit in with the Mental Health Act.
- Provincial Quality, Health and Safety Standards and Guidelines for Secure Rooms in Designated Mental Health Facilities under the B.C. Mental Health Act (2014)
- Electroconvulsive Therapy: Guidelines for Health Authorities in British Columbia (2002)
The Mental Health Review Board
The Mental Health Review Board’s site has information for patients on:
- how to apply for a review panel hearing,
- how to prepare for the hearing,
- how to get help with the hearing,
- what the hearing involves, and
- what happens after the hearing.
The site also has information for family members and people who would like to support a patient.
The Community Legal Assistance Society
The Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS) oversees the Mental Health Law Program, which provides legal representation to people who want to challenge their certification at a review panel hearing.
But if you choose to represent yourself, CLAS has a guide to help you prepare for your hearing.
Access Pro Bono
Access Pro Bono’s Mental Health Program Telephone Clinic offers 30 minutes of free legal advice about certification and your Mental Health Act rights. That page also lists other resources you may find helpful.
Clicklaw
The Courthouse Libraries BC operates Clicklaw, a service to help make legal information more accessible to the public. Clicklaw has a few resources about Mental Health Act detention and rights: