Comparing mental health and mental capacity law data across borders: Challenges and opportunities

Gavin Davidson; Elizabeth Agnew; Lisa Brophy; Jim Campbell; Mary Donnelly; Anne-Maree Farrell; Trisha Forbes; Rhiannon Frowde; Brendan D Kelly; Claire McCartan

doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2023.101949

Comparing mental health and mental capacity law data across borders: Challenges and opportunities

Int J Law Psychiatry. 2024 Jan-Feb:92:101949. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2023.101949. Epub 2024 Jan 4.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK. Electronic address: g.davidson@qub.ac.uk.
² School of Law, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN, UK.
³ Department of Community and Clinical Health, Social Work and Social Policy, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia.
⁴ School of Social Policy Social Work and Social Justice, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
⁵ School of Law, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, Ireland.
⁶ Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh, South Bridge, Edinburgh, Scotland EH8 9YL, UK.
⁷ School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT7 1NN, UK.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Tallaght University Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24 D24 NR0A, Ireland.
⁹ Regional Trauma Network, Northern Health and Social Care Trust, Holywell Hospital, Antrim, Northern Ireland BT41 2RJ, UK.

PMID: 38181488
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2023.101949

Abstract

The island of Ireland is partitioned into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In both jurisdictions, there have been important developments in mental health and mental capacity law, and associated policies and services. This includes an emphasis on developing more comprehensive approaches to collecting data on outcomes and so there is an opportunity to align these processes to enable comparison and shared learning across the border. This article explores: legal and policy developments; international approaches to mental health outcomes; and the type of data that would be helpful to collect to better understand the use of mental health and mental capacity laws. It is argued that an inclusive strategy to developing a comprehensive, integrated and aligned approach to collecting and analysing data would benefit citizens, policy makers and professionals.

Keywords: Human rights; Mental capacity law; Mental health data; Mental health law; Mental health outcomes.

MeSH terms

Humans
Mental Health*
Northern Ireland
Policy*