30 June 2022

Criminal sanctions for suicidality in the 21st Century UK; Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2022 and BJPsych.

Dr Alex Thomson is a CNWL Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at Northwick Park Hospital, also the Vice Chair, Royal College of Psychiatry  Faculty of Liaison Psychiatry.

With colleagues from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, and Lived Experience Advisor Emma McAllister, have written this expert commentary and contribution to the debate.

They say: “Criminal sanctions including court orders, prosecution and imprisonment persist as responses to suicidality in the UK even where there is no public danger. Their prevalence, the level of clinical involvement and outcomes are unclear. There is an urgent need to examine the national picture of harms, benefits and the responsibilities of mental health professionals.”