A 38-year-old woman presents to the emergency department having taken an overdose some 6 hours ago. She is refusing to give consent for her blood to be taken for tests. She is also shouting ‘you are not going to pump my stomach’. You are told that the psychiatrist should be called so he can put her on Section 5 (2) of the Mental Health Act (MHA) to enable you to take blood and enforce treatment. She took the overdose after finding out that her husband of 15 years is leaving her.
The overdose was impulsive. She has three children who were in the house at the time of the overdose. She is adamant that there is no point in living, given she has been betrayed by her husband. She is sure her family will look after her children. You look up a handbook describing the Mental Health Act which outlines the main sections as shown below: Section 2 – An assessment order which allows compulsory…
