BC’s Mental Health Act has been in the news a few times over the past several weeks. Here are some rights-related highlights:
Should the Mental Health Act be used to detain youth with substance use disorder?
At a BC coroner’s inquest into the overdose death of 16-year-old Elliot Eurchuk, pediatrician Dr. Tom Warshawski testified that he supports using the Mental Health Act to treat young people for substance use disorder against their will. Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C.’s former provincial health officer, told the inquest that there’s not enough evidence that involuntary treatment would prevent deaths and improve health outcomes. Continue reading “Mental Health Act news roundup”