Mind responds to annual Mental Health Act statistics

National statistics for the number of people detained under the Mental Health Act for treatment over the past year have just been published. 

They paint a bleak picture, showing:

• The number of people detained increased by 4.5%
  
  
• Rates of detention for Black and Black British people are over four times those of White people
  
  
• Black Black and British people received Community Treatment Orders at 10 times the rate of White people

Responding to the figures, Vicki Nash, Head of Policy, Campaigns and Public Affairs at Mind, the mental health charity, said:

“It would be concerning at any time to see an increase in the number of people detained for mental health treatment, but it is even more troubling off the back of the pandemic, when we know so many people have struggled with their mental health.

“Crucially, people must be able to access mental health support early on so that they don’t reach crisis point. This is particularly important as one way of tackling institutional racism in the mental health system, which means a hugely disproportionate number of Black people are sectioned.

"Equally important, when people do reach this point, they should be treated with dignity and respect, which current legislation used to detain people does not have at its heart. We therefore expect the UK Government to use tomorrow’s Spending Review to make sufficient investment in community mental health services, so people can get help when they need it, and in making its proposed reform of the Mental Health Act a reality.”