An expert narrative takes you through the Mental Health Amendment Act 2006 This new Blackstone's Guide provides the full text of the Mental Health Act 2007, together with expert narrative.The narrative places the Amendment Act firmly in the context of the 1983 Act, analyses its impact on the Mental Capacity Act, and discusses the human rights implications of compulsory detention and treatment by reference to key cases such as Bournewood, IH, and Von Brandenburg. TABLE OF CASES xxix TABLE OF STATUTES xxxv TABLE OF SECONDARY LEGISLATION li CODES OF PRACTICE lv LIST OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS lvii PART I: REFORM OF THE MENTAL HEALTH ACT 1983 1. INTRODUCTION 3 A. Structure of the Book 1. Part I: Reform of the Mental Health Act 1983 2. Part II: The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its Amendments B. The Background to the 2007 Act C. A Brief History of Mental Health Legislation 1. The Origins of Mental Health Law 2. Statutory Regulation of Detention Begins 3. The Lunacy Act 1890 and the Triumph of 'Legalism' 4. The Pendulum Swings: the Rise of 'Informality' and the 1930 and 1959 Acts 5. The Development of a Human Rights Discourse: the 1982 and 1983 Acts 6. Developments Since 1983: the Human Rights Act 1998