How does the European Convention on Human Rights apply to people who suffer mental ill-health or are alleged to be affected by such a condition? The last few years have seen a raft of important judgments from Strasbourg concerning the rights of people with mental health issues. This book provides a practical and critical analysis of obligations arising from the rights to life, freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment, liberty and security of the person, family and private life, and other ECHR rights. It considers the impact of human rights and mental health in the context of criminal law, family law and Court of Protection issues. The authors give an article-by-article summary of the most important case law, as well as a thematic summary, drawing together issues relevant to practitioners specialising in mental health law as well as legal practitioners working in fields that require knowledge of Strasbourg jurisprudence on mental health including Court of Protection, family and criminal practitioners.

This book provides mental capacity practitioners with accessible ethical guidance and applicable tools for applying the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. It shows how clients' relationships can impact their capacity in positive and negative ways, and which communication skills practitioners can use to enable and empower those with impairment. It also covers how to engage in self-reflection and transparent debate about values to improve the quality of assessments. Helping practitioners interpret complex issues of mental capacity in the most beneficial way for clients, this book is essential reading for students and practitioners of law, medicine, mental health services and social care.