A patient's rights lawyer is raising concerns about what he's calling the erosion of the rights of people with mental health problems.
Jean-Pierre Menard also says the resources to help these people are seriously lacking and wants psychiatrists to learn more about Quebec law as it relates to patients’ rights.
He gave a rather dramatic example that occurred in Granby earlier this month – a man was admitted to hospital, released and admitted again because people around him feared for his mental health and subsequently he ended up being charged with a very serious crime. What disturbed Menard, however, was when he heard a psychiatrist say he was not able to keep this patient in the hospital for more than 24 hours unless there were signs of immediate danger, which Menard says is not true.
He wants psychiatrists to be better training in how to apply the law. He also wants there to be more mental health resources in the community – he says patients and families often feel they have no recourse when there's a crisis but to go to the emergency room.
