Service users' experiences of being sectioned under the Mental Health Act

Abstract

The first part of this thesis contains a review of the literature relating to service users’ experiences of psychiatric hospitalisation.  The majority of the research discussed investigated perceived coercion and the review considers how this narrow focus has not allowed for the collection of data on other elements of people’s treatment experiences.  The review highlights how there have been no published studies exploring NHS service users’ experiences of being sectioned, which suggests that this is an area that needs to be researched.

The second part of the thesis contains a qualitative research study, which aimed to provide an understanding of how service users described their experiences of being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.  Narratives were elicited in semi-structured interviews with seven individuals who had been sectioned in the past five years.  The interviews were analysed using narrative analysis techniques and the narratives were categorised within four genres of escape, rescue, enlightenment and endurance.  The narratives highlighted a complex mixture of negative and positive aspects of being sectioned.  The results are discussed in relation to previous research findings and the implications for future research and clinical practice are explored.  Particular attention is drawn to the clinical implications of the research considering the planned reforms to the Mental Health Act (1983), which means that non-medically trained professionals will become involved in sectioning procedures.

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