Hello, I’m Matthew Carroll the President of the Mental Health Tribunal.
Under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act when a person is experiencing very serious symptoms of a mental illness, and needs immediate treatment, they may be placed on what’s called a compulsory Treatment Order. That order means that they have to have treatment. Sometimes this will be while they are in hospital. Other times it will be while they are still living at home.
If this happens to you, you will be invited to a Tribunal hearing within 28 days. The purpose of the hearing is to decide whether or not the compulsory treatment order should remain in place, and if so, for how long.
Your Tribunal hearing is an important opportunity for you to have your say about whether or not you need compulsory treatment, and your treatment preferences for treatment for the future.
At the Tribunal we really want you to attend your hearing to tell us what you think and to be part of the discussion and decision making process.
You are welcome to bring a support person who may help you talk to us or who may tell us things that we need to understand before making a decision.
You can find out more about the Tribunal and how to prepare for a hearing you can explore this website.