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Narrated by James Marriott
Most societies place great store on individual autonomy — the right to make our own decisions even, or especially, when they are bad ones. On the other hand a humane society should also take particular care of vulnerable groups, such as the very young, the very old and those with the severest forms of mental illness.
Getting that balance right for those with severe mental illness usually requires a mental health act in some shape or form. And because knowledge and attitudes to mental illness change over time, these need to be changed every few decades.
In 2017 I was asked by the prime minister, Theresa May, to lead a new reform of the Mental Health Act for England and Wales. The main drivers
