Why are we still living in the past? Sri Lanka needs urgent and timely reforms of its archaic mental health laws
Mental health legislation protects the rights of people with mental illnesses. However, despite major social, political and cultural changes, Sri Lankan mental health services still operate on laws enacted mostly during the British rule more than a century ago, in the pre-psychotropics era, and focu...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | BJPsych International |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056474022000265/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797742394606616576 |
|---|---|
| author | Aruni Hapangama Jayan Mendis K.A.L.A. Kuruppuarachchi |
| author_facet | Aruni Hapangama Jayan Mendis K.A.L.A. Kuruppuarachchi |
| author_sort | Aruni Hapangama |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mental health legislation protects the rights of people with mental illnesses. However, despite major social, political and cultural changes, Sri Lankan mental health services still operate on laws enacted mostly during the British rule more than a century ago, in the pre-psychotropics era, and focusing more on the detention of people with mental illnesses than on their treatment. It is high time all stakeholders made efforts for the much-awaited new Mental Health Act to pass through parliament urgently to meet the needs and protect the rights of patients, their caregivers and service providers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:40:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-943449ab7f8d4ba3a4a5403d26c1b101 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4740 2058-6264 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:40:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych International |
| spelling | doaj.art-943449ab7f8d4ba3a4a5403d26c1b1012023-08-16T11:00:47ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych International2056-47402058-62642023-02-01204610.1192/bji.2022.26Why are we still living in the past? Sri Lanka needs urgent and timely reforms of its archaic mental health lawsAruni Hapangama0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5477-5050Jayan Mendis1K.A.L.A. Kuruppuarachchi2FRANZCP, Professor in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri Lanka. Email:MDpsych, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana, Sri LankaFRCPsych, Cadre Chair and Senior Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri LankaMental health legislation protects the rights of people with mental illnesses. However, despite major social, political and cultural changes, Sri Lankan mental health services still operate on laws enacted mostly during the British rule more than a century ago, in the pre-psychotropics era, and focusing more on the detention of people with mental illnesses than on their treatment. It is high time all stakeholders made efforts for the much-awaited new Mental Health Act to pass through parliament urgently to meet the needs and protect the rights of patients, their caregivers and service providers.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056474022000265/type/journal_articleMental health acthuman rightsSri LankaSouth Asiamental diseases |
| spellingShingle | Aruni Hapangama Jayan Mendis K.A.L.A. Kuruppuarachchi Why are we still living in the past? Sri Lanka needs urgent and timely reforms of its archaic mental health laws BJPsych International Mental health act human rights Sri Lanka South Asia mental diseases |
| title | Why are we still living in the past? Sri Lanka needs urgent and timely reforms of its archaic mental health laws |
| title_full | Why are we still living in the past? Sri Lanka needs urgent and timely reforms of its archaic mental health laws |
| title_fullStr | Why are we still living in the past? Sri Lanka needs urgent and timely reforms of its archaic mental health laws |
| title_full_unstemmed | Why are we still living in the past? Sri Lanka needs urgent and timely reforms of its archaic mental health laws |
| title_short | Why are we still living in the past? Sri Lanka needs urgent and timely reforms of its archaic mental health laws |
| title_sort | why are we still living in the past sri lanka needs urgent and timely reforms of its archaic mental health laws |
| topic | Mental health act human rights Sri Lanka South Asia mental diseases |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056474022000265/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT arunihapangama whyarewestilllivinginthepastsrilankaneedsurgentandtimelyreformsofitsarchaicmentalhealthlaws AT jayanmendis whyarewestilllivinginthepastsrilankaneedsurgentandtimelyreformsofitsarchaicmentalhealthlaws AT kalakuruppuarachchi whyarewestilllivinginthepastsrilankaneedsurgentandtimelyreformsofitsarchaicmentalhealthlaws |