BC Schizophrenia Society supports and defends the current BC Mental Health Act. We see it as an important part of supporting people living with schizophrenia and other serious mental illness.

BC Mental Health Act: An Introduction

People, often families, try to persuade a person with a serious mental illness to get treatment voluntarily. However, sometimes the person, because of the illness, refuses The Mental Health Act is designed to address that issue by providing for compulsory admission to hospital and treatment

This website has a number of helpful documents on the Mental Health Act and on related issues like confidentiality. The documents and a video are:

BC Schizophrenia Society Position on Charter Challenge

BRITISH COLUMBIA SCHIZOPHRENIA SOCIETY POSITION PAPER ON THE CHARTER CHALLENGE TO TREATMENT FOR INVOLUNTARY PATIENTS UNDER THE BC MENTAL HEALTH ACT

INTRODUCTION
The challenge under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter Challenge) seeks to change BC laws so that involuntarily detained psychiatric patients can “refuse or revoke consent to psychiatric treatment…;”

British Columbia Schizophrenia Society’s (BCSS) position on this challenge is that it misunderstands current BC laws and the laws are in accord with the Charter. Furthermore, if the challenge is successful, it will cause strife between patients who do not want treatment and their family substitute decision maker (SDM) who consents to unwanted treatment. It will also lead to dire consequences for untreated involuntary patients, families, physicians, nurses and the service system.

A. The Charter Challenge: a wrong interpretation of the BC Mental Health Act 
The challenge incorrectly asserts that the BC Mental Health Act (MHA) is “…legislation, which deprives all involuntary patients…of the right to give, refuse or revoke consent to psychiatric treatment, regardless of those patients’ actual capacity to do so.”

In fact, the MHA requires physicians to assess the capacity to consent to proposed treatment for every involuntary patient before they can be treated, using the BC Mental Health Act Form 5, “Consent for Treatment (involuntary patient).” The physician must explain to each involuntary (certified) patient “the nature of the condition, options for treatment, the reasons for and likely benefits and risks of the treatment.” If the patient is found to be capable, they can sign consent for their own treatment. If the patient is found to be incapable by the physician “The physician
explains, orally or in writing, to the director or designate, the nature of the patient’s condition and the reasons for and likely benefits and risks of the treatment(s).” (BC Ministry of Health, Guide to the Mental Health Act,page 85, 2005) and the director consents, or not, to the proposed treatment.

The challenge also wrongly claims that BC is the only province where an official, rather than a substitute decision maker (SDM) such as a family member, consents to treatment. In fact, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador do not allow an SDM to consent but require a physician or official to authorize the treatment. These provinces do so because they view treatment as being the purpose of involuntary admission and a necessary requirement for release.

B. Charter issues
BCSS strongly believes that the current BC MHA and related legislation are in accord with the Charter. The challenger wrongly claims that having an SDM consent to treatment is the only method allowed by the Charter and therefore BC law is contrary to the Charter. However, three other provinces use an official like BC It is the understanding of BCSS that the Charter does not require that all provincial laws be the same, they can be quite different, but they must conform with the Charter.

The purpose of the legislation is very important in Charter decisions. The challenger wants involuntary patients who have been committed because they need treatment, need protection for themselves or others and cannot be admitted as a voluntary patient, to be able to refuse the treatment necessary for their release. The McCorkell BC Supreme Court decision, however, made it clear that the purpose of involuntary admission in BC is for treatment. (It is not in Ontario where people can be hospitalized for well over a year or kept in seclusion for over 404 days because they could not be treated. see Solomon reference). Treatment refusal for involuntary patients, advocated by the challenger, is not consistent with the purpose of the BC MHA.

Similarly, the Saskatchewan Law Reform Commission wrote “Civil commitment exists to provide treatment for seriously disturbed patients. If treatment cannot be provided by the facility to which the patient has been committed, there is no jurisdiction for continuing the committal. Logically therefore, authority to direct hospitalization without consent of the patient must entail authority of some form of treatment without consent” (see Gray et al., p. 248).

The challenger says that the equality section the Charter (section 15), means that involuntary patient must be treated the same as voluntary patients thus be able to refuse treatment. Since voluntary patients can refuse admission, to be consistent, the challenger should argue that seriously ill dangerous person must be able to refuse involuntary admission. This illustrates why involuntary psychiatric patients are not “equal” to voluntary patients: they cannot refuse admission and cannot discharge themselves when they want. Discharge is only possible after successful treatment. The MHA does not therefore violate section 15 of the Charter.

Because of the well documented increase in length of detention, increased seclusion and restraint associated with treatment refusal, BCSS argues that the Charter rights of liberty, autonomy and freedom of thought will be violated by the challenger’s proposed changes.

The MHA contains a number of protective mechanisms including clear committal criteria which require that the person must need psychiatric treatment, two independent physicians for committal, second opinions on the appropriateness of the treatment, notification to patients and families, two professionals involved in treatment consent (treating physician and director) and review panels. BCSS is of the opinion that these rights protective mechanisms along with the treatment purpose of the MHA are sufficient to obviate concerns about any deprivation of liberty (section 7).

C. Family Substitute Decision Makers
The challenge would have decisions to treat or not made by an SDM, usually a family member. Most family members want to be closely involved with the development of the treatment plan for their involuntarily admitted family member. However, many do not want to be the person who actually consents to the treatment which the involuntary patient may be actively resisting. Oftentimes the relationship with the patient is easily disturbed. As one person who meets weekly with her son said “If I had to consent to treatment he did not want, even though it was necessary, all hell would break loose and my relationship with my son probably destroyed.” She is very comfortable with being able to inform her son that it is the director who consents not her.

A number of family members also expressed concern that they are not experts in treatment and do not know one medication from another. They therefore prefer the current system where professionals make the ultimate decision. That is the system used in a number of provinces.

Some foreign jurisdictions forbid family members from making treatment decisions that can restrict liberty rights. It is argued that family members may be in a conflict of interest and are not sufficiently at arm’s length to make objective decisions.

Another issue is delays when the person is acutely ill and the SDM not easily accessible. Under the current system treatment can happen quickly when the patient is in the greatest distress.

The BCSS position is that the current system for treatment consent is in accord with the Charter and preferable for many families of seriously ill people, and protects the right to treatment for an individual who is unable to make the treatment decision themselves.

D. The Negative Consequences of Refusing Treatment for Involuntary Patients, Families, Staff, and Society

1. The Negative Consequences for Involuntary Patients When Treatment is Refused

  • Continued suffering due to non-treatment of delusions, hallucinations and other serious
    symptoms of psychosis.
  • Longer detention in hospital or community.
  • More seclusion and restraints to manage un-medicated psychotic behaviour.
  • Poorer prognosis. Research indicates that prompt treatment leads to reduced negative cognitive impacts, fewer re-occurring episodes of psychosis and less trauma for individuals with psychosis.
  • Denial of liberty and autonomy rights because patients cannot be released from hospital until they are well and this is unlikely without treatment.

2. The Negative Consequences for Other Patients, Staff and Service System When Treatment is Refused

  • Increase in fellow patients being assaulted.
  • Increase of assaults on nurses and other staff raising Worksafe concerns.
  • Ethical dilemmas for physicians and nurses whose professional ethics are to heal.
  • Transforms psychiatrists and nurses from health care providers to jailers, since they will only be able to detain a patient, but not treat them.
  • Increased cost to taxpayers as the seclusion and closer monitoring of untreated patients requires more staff resources.
  • Increased wait times for a limited number of beds that will be caused by those who cannot be discharged because of treatment refusal.
  • Increased premature discharge of involuntary patients given the pressures around bed usage and the refusal to accept treatment.
  • Higher incidence of relapse, victimization by criminals and increased intervention by police and criminal justice.

3. The Negative Consequences for Families When Treatment is Refused

  • Families are increasingly burdened with the responsibility of caring for individuals with serious mental illness. They find themselves having to serve as advocate, caregiver, and emotional support. This Charter challenge asks them to also become a mental health expert, someone who understands all the relevant research and treatments for their loved ones.
  • If treatment is refused, families will experience distress as they watch their family member suffer for long periods.
  • Treatment can be delayed while the physician finds and convinces the family SDM.
  • Strife may occur between family SDM and the patient who does not want the treatment.
  • Because treatment refusal will lead to longer hospital stays, the person’s family will be be helpless in getting their family member back to the community, to their job, and family role. This can be very disruptive to family life.

CONCLUSION
BCSS, which is an organization founded by families of people with schizophrenia, the most debilitating of the mental illnesses, strongly refutes the claims made in this Charter Challenge. From the experience of our members, and families in other provinces, we are convinced that this challenge will not advance the treatment or the rights of people whose brain illnesses so severe that they cannot accept treatment voluntarily and can only access treatment through involuntary services.

REFERENCES

McCorkell v. Director of Riverview Hospital, 1993 CanLII 1200 (BC SC)

John E. Gray et al., eds., “Psychiatric Treatment Authorization and Refusal” in Canadian Mental Health Law and Policy 2nd ed., (Markham: LexisNexis, 2008)

Robert Solomon, Richard O’Reilly, John Gray & Martina Nikolic, “Treatment Delayed – Liberty Denied” Canadian Bar Review(2009) 87, 679-719

(PDF of long version of BC Schizophrenia Society’s position on the Charter Challenge)

(PDF of short summary BC Schizophrenia Society’s position on the Charter Challenge )

Charter Challenge (Update: June 2019)

In the MacLaren v. British Columbia (Attorney General)Charter Challenge the Attorney General’s lawyers argued to the court that without the individual patients, who had dropped out, the Canadian Council on Disabilities (CCD) should not have standing to pursue the case. The judge agreed. In his conclusion (October 12, 2018) the Honourable Chief Justice Hinkson wrote “I will therefore decline to exercise my discretion to afford the CCD [Canadian Council on Disabilities] public interest standing to bring this action, and dismiss its claim.”

The British Columbia Schizophrenia Society (BCSS) strongly opposes the Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS) and CCD position and is pleased the Attorney General’s lawyers took this position.

The CCD appealed Chief Justice Hinkson’s decision at a hearing in early June 2019. The Court of Appeal has yet to release its decision.

Please direct any questions to Faydra Aldridge, CEO.

 

REFERENCES

Articles and Fact Sheets on the BC Mental Health Act

Call to Action

The BC Mental Health Act, which is about the care and protection of citizens who suffer from serious mental illness, is now under attack. Please see the letter in The Vancouver Sun from BC Schizophrenia Society (BCSS), a copy of it can also be viewed on the BCSS website.

In his letter, BCSS President Dave Halikowski explains, “The purpose of the BC Mental Health Act is to help ill people receive the medical treatment they need and deserve so that they can regain their health.”

Due to the upcoming Charter Challenge to BC’s Mental Health Act—now is the time for BC Schizophrenia Society members and supporters to get involved.

There are many ways to get involved in fighting these unfair and harmful changes.

  1. Comment and respond to articles, letters and opinion pieces you see or hear supporting these harmful changes. Please email a link to the article and your response to the newspaper, radio station or report to communications@bcss.org so that we can track everyone’s response
  2. Write a letter to your MLA. Tell your political representatives the facts: the proposed changes to our Mental Health Act will be disastrous for BC citizens with serious mental illness, their families and health care professionals.

The following are some tips and suggestions we hope you might find useful in writing your letter.

  • Find contact information for your MLA at https://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm
  • In your letter, tell your MLA that BC’s Mental Health Act specifies the need for treatment of serious mental disorders, and therefore it is about the right to be well.
  • Include with your letter to your MLA David Halikowski’s letter in The Vancouver Sun. You can do this by simply including the BCSS letter as an attachment to your own letter and/or by providing a link to The Vancouver Sun article.
  • Let your MLA know (a) that you agree with the letter; (b) that you want to this important matter brought to the attention of government, and (c) that you’re asking your MLA to take action as your representative and to speak up on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.
  • Identify yourself as a constituent (voter!) by including your full name and address. Keep it brief, but it is also more powerful if you can include a personal or professional reference. For example, it is helpful to identify your role—e.g., relative, friend, professional care provider of a person or persons with a serious mental illness, or someone whose own recovery is due to receiving timely medical treatment.
  • If you can incorporate some actual details of your own story into your direct message to your MLA, it will stand out and create a real impact.
  • Finish your letter by explaining how these changes will affect not just your personal situation, but also your political support. This may have a stronger impact than merely documenting your objection to the proposed changes.
  • In addition, please consider sending a similar letter to Hon. John Horgan, Premier; Hon. Adrian Dix, Minister of Health; and Hon. Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

REMEMBER—WHEN WE ALL SPEAK TOGETHER, WE SPEAK MORE LOUDLY!

Further steps to consider:

  • Follow up your letter and ask what action has been taken. By regularly sending a letter on a two-week schedule, you can help prevent the issue from being ignored. Follow-up letters can be based on your first letter, reiterating points you made in that letter.
  • Document your responses. Email a copy of your letter to communications@bcss.org and help us in our collective efforts to stop the proposed changes to the BC Mental Health Act by creating a coherent force through our mutual public policy initiative.
  • Paper letters and emails are both useful when writing to your MLA. If you are emailing the letter and have the ability to do so—save it as a PDF, sign it and attach with a short “please see attached” email. A signed PDF may carry more weight. Similarly, if writing a paper letter, make sure you sign it and include your full address.

We hope that together we can convince the provincial government to keep our current Mental Health Act which truly benefits people with mental illness. Speaking up lets our government and representatives know that citizens are paying attention to policy reforms that will have tragic consequences.

There are many ways to work towards saving our BC Mental Health Act and this is one for you. Please email Jean Fong at communications@bcss.org for more information on writing a letter or anything related to BCSS public policy.

 

 


Related Posts

Read More