Compulsory Mental Health Treatment in Hong Kong: Which Way Forward?

Image courtesy of Centre for Medical Ethics & Law, University of Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, the Mental Health Ordinance (Cap136) has been the primary legislation tasked with the purpose of ensuring adequate mental health care as well as protecting patients’ rights. However, implementation of the Mental Health Ordinance has presented difficulties in practice, and variances in its implementation have sometimes led to legal dilemmas.

This two-day conference, organised in collaboration with LML Affiliate Dr Elizabeth Fistein, seeks to address some of these issues, beginning the process of developing a roadmap for reform in Hong Kong. Broad issues in compulsory mental health treatment will be explored from a comparative perspective, as well as how these issues manifest themselves in hospital and community mental health practice. The roundtable discussions will bring together the progress made across both days to put together suggestions for policy reform in Hong Kong.

The conference will be of interest to researchers, clinicians and legal practitioners who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the legal and ethical justifications for compulsory treatment, through a dynamic interaction with experts in mental health ethics and law from across the globe.

More information about the event can be found here.