Cookies on this website
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Continue' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

UK still using ineffective compulsory treatment for people with mental illness

General Research

Paul is a 37-year-old man with a history of mental illness. He enjoys football and regularly meets with friends at the pub to watch the game. On weekends he takes the bus to Brighton to visit his girlfriend.

Paul has been admitted to hospital many times on account of his poor self-care and “odd” behaviour when very unwell, but he usually goes home after a few weeks when his symptoms subside.

Last time was different though. Instead of returning to his everyday life when discharged, he was told that he would have to meet with a nurse every week, accept medication by injection and stop drinking. If he did not meet these conditions, he was told, he could be taken back into hospital at any time.

Read the full article on The Conversation website, written by Francis Vergunst, Department of Psychiatry.

Oxford is a subscribing member of The Conversation. Find out how you can write for The Conversation.

Similar stories

Attention and memory deficits persist for months after recovery from mild Covid

Researchers from Oxford’s Department of Experimental Psychology and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences have shown that people who have had Covid but don’t complain of long Covid symptoms in daily life nevertheless can show degraded attention and memory for up to 6-9 months.

New book expands the horizons of brain research

A pioneering book from Professor Zoltán Molnár and Yale Professors Tamas Horvath and Joy Hirsch to be released on 1 February 2022 addresses the fundamental relationship between the body, brain and behaviour.

New research sheds light on how ultrasound could be used to treat psychiatric disorders

A new study in macaque monkeys has shed light on which parts of the brain support credit assignment processes (how the brain links outcomes with its decisions) and, for the first time, how low-intensity transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) can modulate both brain activity and behaviours related to these decision-making and learning processes.

Dramatic fall in hospital admissions for child infections since start of Covid-19 pandemic

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been dramatic reductions in hospital admissions for common and severe childhood infections in England, most likely due to social distancing measures, school and workplace closures, and travel restrictions, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

Rosalind Franklin Institute and Pharmacology announce strategic partnership in Next Generation Chemistry

The Rosalind Franklin Institute and the University of Oxford’s Department of Pharmacology have entered into a strategic partnership for Next Generation Chemistry.

Christoph Treiber awarded ERC Starting Grant to investigate the origins of behavioural diversity

Congratulations are in order for postdoctoral research scientist Dr Christoph Treiber who has been awarded a Starting Grant from the European Research Council. His funded project will investigate the genetic components that may contribute to diversity of brain function and behaviour.