More Hong Kong psychiatric patients could be given conditional discharge orders under proposals to improve mental health services
- Government also says it will not introduce community treatment orders for psychiatric patients after studying overseas examples
- Proposed measures revealed after a meeting of government’s Advisory Committee on Mental Health looked into conditional discharge regime
Imposing conditions on more psychiatric patients upon hospital discharge and reviewing their status at least every two years are among suggestions floated by authorities to improve Hong Kong’s mental health services.
The government, meanwhile, also announced that it would not introduce community treatment orders for psychiatric patients – compulsory requirements for those not in hospital – after studying overseas examples.
The proposed measures were revealed on Thursday, after a meeting of the government’s Advisory Committee on Mental Health looked into the conditional discharge regime, under which psychiatric patients staying in the community must meet several conditions or they will be taken back to hospital.
“The committee agreed that the scope of conditional discharge is too narrow,” chairman Wong Yan-lung said.
Hong Kong has about 1,300 people with mental illnesses living under conditional discharge. They are patients who were admitted to hospital involuntarily and have violent tendencies or criminal records.
