The use of Section 136 (Mental Health Act 1983) in Gloucestershire

Abstract

The small number of published studies on the use of Section 136 (S136) of the Mental Health Act 1983 may reflect neither the current situation nor the true national picture as most of the research comes from large urban centres and was published before 1997. We studied the use of S136 between 2002 and 2006 in Gloucestershire, a rural English county with a population of approximately 585,000, by analysing data held by the police and local mental health services. On average 192 subjects (range 176-203) were detained each year under S136, equating to a population rate of 32.8 S136 detentions per 100,000 per year in Gloucestershire. In contrast to other published studies, ethnic minorities, particularly Afro-Caribbean males, were overrepresented only in a minor way. Of those individuals detained, about a third were admitted, a lower rate than in other studies. Acts or threats of self-harm were common (55%), but acts or threats of violence (28%) and evidence of intoxication (16%) were present in a minority, suggesting that detainees are more likely to pose a risk to themselves than others.

Repeated Police Mental Health Act Detentions in England and Wales: Trauma and Recurrent Suicidality

“…One highly pertinent issue that has been highlighted by several studies is that S136 is closely tied to suicide prevention. Estimates place between 55% and 81% of detentions as being linked to concerns about the detained person’s risk to their own life rather than to the threat of harming others [11,12]. A recent comprehensive study investigating the use of S136 in the adjacent counties of East and West Sussex revealed many important elements involved in the historically high rates of detention seen within that area of South East England [13].…”

Repeated Police Mental Health Act Detentions in England and Wales: Trauma and Recurrent Suicidality

“…One highly pertinent issue that has been highlighted by several studies is that S136 is closely tied to suicide prevention. Estimates place between 55% and 81% of detentions as being linked to concerns about the detained person's risk to their own life rather than to the threat of harming others [11,12]. A recent comprehensive study investigating the use of S136 in the adjacent South East England counties of East and West Sussex revealed many important elements involved in the historically high rates of detention seen within that area [13].…”

Police and health operational staff perspectives on managing detainees held under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act: A qualitative study in London

“…The study covers London only, which may not be representative of other areas. Indeed, other commentators have been critical of this reliance on London to describe the Section 136 process (Borschmann et al, 2010;Laidlaw et al, 2010). The study was conducted prior to the introduction of the roll-out of street triage schemes, and although some interviews were undertaken with workers, they did not explain adequately how this service could address the issues raised in this paper.…”

“…Moreover, commentators have been critical of the police's approach to managing people in mental health crisis due to a lack of understanding of an individual's mental health needs (McDaniel, 2019;Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing, 2013;Clifford, 2010). Studies of detainee perspectives have highlighted the traumatic nature of the detention process, which has resulted in dissatisfaction with both police and health professionals (McGuinness, Dowling, & Trimble, 2013;Laidlaw, Pugh, Riley, & Hovey, 2010;Jones & Mason, 2002). For mental health services, there is an evidence base that largely focuses on treatment and approaches within a ward context once a person is admitted as an inpatient (Slemon, Jenkins, & Bungay, 2017).…”