Coercion has always been integral to the care and treatment of people who are mentally ill and there is no 'perfect' model in which coercion is absent. A number of interventions have shown promise in reducing the use of coercion, however, and we believe the evidence points to ways forward that may improve both the experience and the outcome of care.

The role of asylums in the care of the mentally ill has been regarded differently in different times, opinions held by a person even being reversed totally with the passing of time! In the early part of asylum history the majority of alienists felt that “all forms of madness required institutional care and treatment and the sooner those displaying signs of mental imbalance were removed from dom...

For some reason art therapy is often viewed with tolerant amusement but, in fact, it often has a really 'solid' contribution to make to the treatment and recovery of the mentally ill.

The author critically examines the majority judgment of the Supreme Court of Canada in Rodriguez v. Canada (A.G.) and concludes that the judges in the majority have adopted a legislative public policy mandate rather than carrying out a judicial function that accords with established canons of Charter interpretation and analysis. The author contends that the majority read section 7 of the Charte...